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IRDLING 

THE GLOBE. 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



FROM THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT 
SUN TO THE GOLDEN GATE. 



A RECORD OF A TOUR AROUND 
THE WORLD. 



By D. L. MILLER, 

Author of "Europe and Bible Lands," "Seven Churches of Asia; 
"Wanderings in Bible Lands." 



PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. 



Mount Morris, III.: 

THE BRETHREN PUBLISHING HOUSE, 

i8o8. 



o* 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1898, by 

D. L. MILLER, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congiess, at Washington, D. C. 






All Rights Reserved. 









Jnd C 
1898. 



THE AUTHOR 



DEDICATES THIS BOOK TO THE CAUSE 



OF MISSIONS, AND TO THOSE WHO, BY GENEROUS GIFTS, HAVE 



MADE IT POSSIBLE TO SEND THE GOSPEL 



TO HEATHEN LANDS. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



Across the Atlantic— London— The Palace of a Queen— Paris— Gilded Sin— Results 
of Infidelity, 15 

CHAPTER II. 

To Scandinavia— Nordland— The Coast of Norway— Beautiful Scenery— The Love of 
the Norwegian for his Home — The Laplander— Home Life of the People — Eating- 
Horse-flesh — The Sun at Midnight, 37 

CHAPTER III. 

Leaving the Northland— Through Germany— A Beautiful Valley— Schwarzenau and 
the Eder — Persecuted Reformers— The Rhine — Mayence to Cologne — The City of 
Worms and Luther's Denkmal— Lucerne— Climbing Rigi — William Tell — The 
Axenstrasse — The St. Gothard Railway — The Great Tunnel — Lombardy — Arrival 
at Milan, 69 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Cathedral at Milan— Leonardo da Vinci— The Last Supper— Rome— Kissing the 
Foot of St. Peter— Pompeii— New Discoveries — An Ancient House — Corinth — Di- 
ogenes the Cynic — Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles— Athens — The Acropolis — 
The Market Place— Mars' Hill— Sunset on the Acropolis — Costumes of the Athe- 
nians — A Greek Soldier— Maid of Athens — A Peculiar Custom, 98 

CHAPTER V. 

Athens to Smyrna — The "Unspeakable Turk"— The Massacre of the Armenians— 
An Agape or Love Feast in Smyrna — Mission Work — Feliow Pilgrims— The City 
of Figs — How Figs are Packed— A Trial of Patience — Sailing for the Holy Land — 
Beirut — An Evening Sail along the Coast of Tyre and Sidon — The Mountains of 
Lebanon— Mount Carmel— The Prophet's Test— At Jaffa, 136 

CHAPTER VI. 

Landing at Jaffa — A Rough Sea— Dangerous Landing— Our Ebenezer— Railways in 
Palestine — The Threshing Floor — Unmuzzled Oxen — His Fan is in His Hand — 
The Gleaners — Lydda— The Effendi and his Wives — The Leprosy— Beth-shemesh 
and the Ark of the Covenant — Birthplace of Samson — Whited Sepulchres — Farm 
Life in Palestine — The Ownership of the Land — Casting Lots — The Lines are 
Fallen to me in Pleasant Places— The Tax Gatherer, 157 

CHAPTER VII. 

Measuring Grain — Poverty of Jerusalem— Excavations— Gates Sunk in the Ground- 
Two Women Grinding at the Mill— The Shepherd and his Flock— Night on Olivet 
— A Jewish Funeral — The King's Wine Press— Eastward and Homeward— On to 
Egypt > 180 



Vlll TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Port Said— Railway to Cairo— To the Pyramids— Camel Train— Farmers at Work- 
Casting Seed upon the Water— A Monopolistic Sheik— A Hard Climb— On the 
Summit — Smelling Salts and the Arabs — The Shame of Cairo — A Street Sleeper — 
On to India— The Red Sea— Aden and the Divers— The Arabian Sea— The Har- 
bor of Bombay 204 

CHAPTER IX. 

A Welcome to Bombay— A Modern City— The Parsis— Fireworshipers — "The Res- 
taurant of the Vultures"— Towers of Silence— Old Bombay— The Bazaars— Full 
Jeweled Women— Excessive Jewelry— Rings in the Ears and Nose— Rings on 
Fingers and Toes — Pan Chewing Versus Tobacco, 233 

CHAPTER X. 

Stability of Customs in India— The Sacred Animals— Worshiping the Cow— Bathing 
— The Hindus' Love for Animals — To Bulsar — The Cocoanut Toddy — Monkeys 
by the Way— Our Mission Home— A Good Work by a Noble Band of Workers- 
Hinduism— Caste— The Rajah and his Cabinet— High Caste Woman— Low Caste 
Woman — The Degradation of Idolaters 259 

CHAPTER XI. 

Idolatry in India — The Fascination of Idol Worship — The Degradation of the People 
—Different Sects— The Mark on the Forehead— Branding the Body— The Daily 
Service Rendered to the Idol— Saktism a Synonym for Sensuality — Animal Wor- 
ship—The Hindus' Love for Animals— A Strange Case of Suicide — The Worship 
of Snakes— The Monkey God— Plant and Tree W'orship 282 

CHAPTER XII. 

Among the Common People — Manners and Customs — Burning the Dead — A Crema- 
tion at the Riverside — "Ram, Ram" — Vain Repetitions — Sorrow Makes the 
World Akin — Burning of Widows — The Hindu Widow at the Judgment— Burning 
Ghat — Native Houses — Home Life of the Villagers — Daily Religious Service- 
Strict Observance of Rites and Ceremonies — The Parsi Offering his Evening 
Prayer— Woman Grinding at the Mill— Dress— Dhoti— Rings for the Arms and 
Legs— Untruthfulness of Natives 314 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Interest in Indian People— Inquisitiveness— Cheap Labor— Bricklayers at. Work- 
Human Sawmills — Marriage Ceremonies — Child Marriage — A Double Wedding- 
Pan and Flowers — The Bridegroom's Procession — Ceremonies — Large Sums of 
Money Expended — The Hindu Child — Namegiving Ceremony — Boring the Ears 
— A Visit to Col. Ansel — A Missionary Cocoanut Tree — Toddy — The Toddy 
Climber 341 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Leaving Our Bulsar Home— Northward to Jeypore— Slaughter of Innocents— Man- 
Eating Tigers— The Sacred Crocodiles — The Idols in Jeypore — State Elephants- 
Agra — The Beautiful Taj Mahal— "An Elegy in Marble" — The Gateway — The 
Garden — The Marble Screen— Snake Charmers — Indian Jugglers — The Conjurer 
Khali Khan — Wonderful Feats— The Mango Tree— How the Trick is Performed 
—Claims to Supernatural Power Disproved . . . 364 



TABLE OF CONTENTS IX 

CHAPTER XV. 

Delhi — Lucknow— Cawnpore— The Indian Mutiny— The Peacock Throne— Memorial 
Well at Cawnpore— Savage Cruelty — Benares — Sleeping in Tents — The Sacred 
River Ganges — All Kinds of Gods for Sale— Bathing in the Ganges— Earnestness 
of the Devotees — On the Ganges — " Purdah Women" — Image of the God Bhima 
—Faith-healing— The Burning Ghats — Idols, Idols Everywhere — Christian(?) 
England Making Idols for India— Golden Temple— The Monkey Temple 388 

CHAPTER XVI. 

From the City of Idols to the City of Palaces -The Man-eating Tigers of Bengal- 
Rich Farming Lands — India in Competition with the United States in Raising 
Wheat— The Indigo Plant— Process of Manufacturing the Dye — Opium Growing 
— Opium Introduced into China by the English — The Opium War — England's 
Greatest National Sin — - Calcutta "City of Palaces " — Asiatic Cholera — The 
Black Hole of Calcutta 417 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Calcutta to Darjeeling — An Upward Climb— Railroading above the Clouds — The 
Himalayan Mountains— A Grand View — The Ranjit River— A Cane Bridge — The 
Bhooteas— The Prayer Wheel— Wind and Water Assist in Praying — Leaving Cal- 
cutta— The Hooghly River— Madras— The Juggernaut 442 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Madras to Colombo— The Isle of Spice— Peculiar Boats— The Beauty of Ceylon— The 
Jinrikisha — The Cinnamon Gardens — Nutmegs and Cloves — Cocoanuts — The 
Utility of the Cocoa Palm— Precious Stones — Pearl Fisheries 468 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Off for Hong Kong— The Sea Captain's "Spicy Breezes"— The " Kaiser-i-Hind"— 
The Grouping of Passengers— Ship's Log from Colombo to Penang — Straits of 
Malacca— A Pleasant Voyage— Singapore — Beauties of the Entrance to the Har- 
bor — Houses Built over the Water — The Sedan Chair — Botanical Gardens- 
Through the Streets of Singapore — The Shell Merchant — The Opium Dens — A 
Fearful Sight — Kava — On the China Sea — Sudden Stopping of the Ship's Engines 
— A Nerve-trying Experience— Hong Kong 496 

CHAPTER XX. 

Short Stay in China— The Black Plague — "Pidgin English"— The Sedan Chair- 
Crowded Cities — Signboards — Houseboats — The Noonday Meal — A Strange 
Fashion — Small Feet 516 

CHAPTER XXI. 

From China to Japan— A Staunch Steamer and a Rough Sea— Trusting in God— A 
Dangerous Coast — Nagasaki— General Grant's Tree — A Touching Incident — The 
Inland Sea of Japan — Kobe— A Japanese Passport — Journey to Kyoto— The Po- 
liteness of the Japanese— The Ancient Capital of Japan— Historical— Will Adams 
— Commodore Perry —The Japanese Dress— Absence of Jewelry — The Kyoto Jin- 
rikisha — The Temple of Kwannon — One Thousand and One Images— The Bud- 
dha ' . . 531 



X TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXII. 

A Buddhist Temple— A Crowd of Worshipers— Selling Prayers— Plastering an Idol— 
The Liberality of the Idol Worshipers— Ringing a Bell to Awaken the God— The 
Food of the Gods— The Japanese Kago— Purchasing a Kimono— Japanese Chil- 
dren — From Kyoto to Yokohama — The Japanese Pipes — Letters from Home — 
Nikko the City of Temples — The Emperor"s Bridge — General Grant's Modesty — 
A Japanese Hotel — Eating under Difficulties— The Sacred White Horse— Bean 
Selling^Tokio— "Oh, How I Wish 1 Could Feel an Earthquake! "—Our Experi- 
ence with Earthquakes— Destruction Wrought by the Quaking Earth— Earth- 
quake Houses— The Kingdom of Christ Shall Not Be Shaken, 555 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Land of Flowers— The Flower Seller— The Chrysanthemum— Cherry Blossoms 
— Nothing but Leaves— The Cherry Blossom Festival— The Homeward Journey 
— Picking Up a Day — Honolulu — The Golden Gate— Home at Last, 587 



PREFACE. 



God permits some to travel and see the marvels of his 
works displayed in the creation of the world. Others are 
shut in by environments which preclude all possibility of 
seeing even their own country. Those who can and do go 
are under obligation to those who remain at home. Recog- 
nizing this obligation, the writer feels constrained to give 
this record of a tour around the world. It is written with 
the hope that it will be helpful to those who read. God 
has given us the desire to know, and knowledge broadens 
the mind and gives one a higher conception of the might 
and power of the great Creator. 

The " we " used by the author includes his wife, who 
was his constant companion on the long journey around the 
globe, and who has been a constant inspiration to him in all 
his work. 

The record of northern Europe includes in part two 
journeys, and hitherto unpublished notes on both are drawn 
upon. In these tours we traveled over fifty thousand 
miles, visited four of the great divisions of the globe, pass- 
ing through twenty-four different countries, kingdoms and 
empires. We spent nearly one hundred days at sea, sailing 
on more than thirty different ships. 

During the tours of a year and a half we enjoyed good 
health, and in every respect the voyages were pleasant and 



XJ1 



PREFACE. 



profitable. We felt that God was with us, and to him we 
give praise for his wonderful goodness to us. 

I gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to authors 
whose works I have used and quoted, to Grant Mahan of 
Mount Morris College for valuable assistance rendered in 
preparing the work for the press, and to L. A. Plate for 
proof reading. 

The author takes this occasion to express his obliga- 
tions to the church and a generous public who have given 
such warm welcome to his preceding works. He believes 
the favor shown his books is in excess of their merit. This 
record is sent out to the world in the hope that it may do 
good and add to the sum total of human happiness. 




Ml. Morris, III., July i, 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page 

Street Scene in London 27 

North Cape 36 

Svartisen Glacier, Norway 43 

A Whale, Norway 48 

Roskilde, Denmark 52 

Malmo, Sweden, 53 

A Farmhouse, 55 

The Milkman 58 

The Midnight Sun 65 

Market Place, Halle, 68 

Market Women 70 

Village of Schwarzenau, 71 

The Bridge at Schwarzenau 72 

Hotel at Schwarzenau, 78 

The Road to Schwarzenau, 79 

Old Castles on the Rhine 80 

Luther Monument 82 

A Swiss Cottage, 84 

Lucerne, Switzerland, 87 

Tell's Monument, 80. 

Fluelen, Switzerland, 92 

Tell's Chapel, 93 

The Axenstrasse, Switzerland 94 

A Swiss Village 96 

Milan Cathedral, 99 

Leonardo da Vinci 101 

The Last Supper 105 

In the Ruins of Pompeii, 108 

House of the Vertii, Pompeii no 

The Acropolis, Athens 113 

Gateway to Market Place 117 

Market Place, Athens, 119 

Mars' Hill, Athens, 121 

The Parthenon, Athens, ....... 125 

Shop in Athens, 127 

Greek Girl, 129 

A Greek Soldier 133 

Smyrna, 137 

Our Pilgrims at Smyrna, 144 

(xiii) 



Page 

Tomb of Polycarp, 145 

Lunch in the Temple of Diana at Eph- 

esus, 148 

Jaffa 156 

The Threshing Floor 161 

A Group of Lepers 165 

The One-handled Plow, 178 

Measuring Grain 181 

Women Grinding at the Mill 185 

The Shepherd and his Flock, 189 

Abana, Damascus 192 

Fishing in Galilee, 194 

Ishmaelites, 195 

King's Wine Press, Jerusalem 198 

Natives by the Wayside, 201 

A Camel Train, 206 

Farmers at Work in Egypt, 208 

A Hard Climb. — Pyramid in Egypt, . 209 
The Pilgrims on Top of Cheops, . . . 211 

Mounted Pilgrims, 212 

In the Ezbekiyeh Gardens, Cairo, . . 214 

A Street Sleeper 215 

Donkey Riding in Cairo 218 

Water Wheel, Egypt . 219 

Depot, Bombay 232 

A Group of Parsis, 236 

Parsi Girls 239 

Towers of Silence 243 

A Festival in Bombay, Native Street, . 249 

Goldsmith at Bombay 253 

Full Jeweled 255 

The Rajah and Cabinet, 267 

Hindu Girl, 271 

Tamping the Streets, 275 

Ganesa, the Elephant-headed God, . . 285 

Brahman Family 289 

An Idol, 295 

The Four-headed Brahma, 299 

Offering to an Idol, 309 



XIV 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Funeral Pyre 315 

Burning Ghat, Benares, ........ 321 

A Native Hut 325 

A Brahman at Prayers 330 

Natives with Mill 333 

Tamil Woman 353 

Indian Ox Cart, 357 

The Toddy Climbers 361 

Entrance to Taj Garden 369 

The Taj Mahal 373 

Tomb Screen, Taj Mahal 377 

Snake Charmer, 380 

An Hindu Holy Man 386 

Memorial Well, Cawnpore 393 

Bathing at Benares 401 

The Golden Temple, 411 

Swami Bhaskara Naud Saraswati, Holy 

Man of Benares 415 

Native Preachers in a Village 436 

Darjeeling. — Himalayan Peaks in the 

Distance 447 

Bridge over the Ranjit, 450 

Banian Tree, Calcutta, 456 

Kali and her Demon Spouse, 457 

Milk Sellers, Madras, 462 



Temple of Juggernaut 464 

Native Prince, Southern India, .... 467 

The Jinrikisha, 471 

Elephants, Ceylon 479 

Kandy, Island of Ceylon, 481 

Temple of Dalada, Kandy 485 

Tea Pickers 487 

Traveling in China, 5 01 

Hong Kong, China 511 

Traveling in China 5 J 9 

Street in Hong Kong 523 

A Chinese Woman 527 

Japanese Ladies in Winter Dress, . . 541 

The Japanese Jinrikisha 545 

Temple of 1000 Gods, Kyoto, 549 

Buddha Daibutsu, 553 

Japanese Temple Ground 558 

Kago, Japanese Traveling Chair, ... 563 
Japanese Boys Carrying Babies. ... 567 

Sacred Bridge, Nikko 573 

Effects of Earthquake, 577 

Village Destroyed by Earthquake, . . 58/ 

Earth Opened by Earthquake 5S5 

The Flower Seller, 589 

The Chrysanthemum Garden 593 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



CHAPTER I. 



Across the Atlantic — London — The Palace of a Queen — Paris — 
Gilded Sin — Results of Infidelity. 

It was on a bright, beautiful May day morning in 
1895 that we left our pleasant home in the embowered 
village of Mount Morris for our tour around the world. 
Eastward we took our course, and the very moment we 
started from home our homeward journey began. Whether 
we sailed across the broad Atlantic, or on the North, 
the Baltic, the Adriatic, the /Egean, the Mediterranean, 
the Red, the China or the Yellow Sea, or on the Indian 
or Pacific Ocean, we said to each other so many, many 
times, as we thought of native land and of loved ones 
there, " Every day's travel takes us nearer home." When 
we traveled overland through England, and northward 
to the " Land of the Midnight Sun," and southward 
through Germany, and over the snowy heights of Switzer- 
land, and the sunny plains of Italy, and the vine-clad 
hills of Greece, and the sacred mountains and plains of 
the Holy Land, and the fruitful valley of the Nile, and 
Emong the teeming millions of India, and the spice is- 
lands of the Southern Seas, — wherever we wandered,— 
there was always present with us the happy thought, We 
are going home. Heretofore on our travels we have had, 

when starting, an objective point, and when it was reached 

(15) 



l6 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

we began our return voyage. But on this journey we 
continue our course eastward and homeward until, the 
Lord willing, we land at San Francisco, and, still pursuing 
our eastward way, finally reach our home again. We 
are impressed with the thought that our journey is some- 
thing like the great voyage of life which we are all mak- 
ing. There is no turning back. Onward is the word, 
until, if we follow the compass and chart of God, the goal 
is won and the haven of eternal rest is entered. 

Leaving New York in the springtime, on one of the 
big North Atlantic boats with some five hundred cabin 
passengers aboard, is like starting out on a summer pleas- 
ure trip. The " floating palace " moves almost imper- 
ceptibly down the river. You are conscious of motion 
only because the buildings on both shores are moving 
backward. Presently New York, with its throbbing pul- 
sations of busy commercial and social life, is left behind. 
Now the ship's speed is increased, and the grass-covered 
hills of Staten Island, the summer resorts with their barn- 
like hotels, and the Atlantic highlands, rich in foliage 
and verdure, flit by in quick succession. Then, when 
you begin to feel that the boat should land you on some 
greensward, for a day's rambling and meditation, you 
are out at sea and suddenly awaken to the fact that you 
have the broad Atlantic before you and that many days 
must pass before you see land again. 

Land again! How one longs for the sight of it as the 
days glide into weeks, with only sea and sky to look 
upon. The eyes grow weary seeking in vain for something 
fixed upon which to rest. There is something about the 
sight of land under such circumstances, that, as some 
one has said, " supplies a want that nothing else can fill." 
Whether it be your own coast or some foreign land, 



ON BOARD THE PARIS. 1/ 

it is all the same. The cry of "Land ho!" brings to the 
upper deck even the invalid who has not left his cabin 
during the entire voyage. How you feast your eyes as 
they rest on the solid earth, for there is no such thing 
as resting your eyes on the sea. It is much too active 
and restless to afford rest. The sight of land brings to 
you a joyous, hopeful, restful feeling, that is pleasant to 
enjoy. We heard of a young man who emerged from 
his cabin, as the ship entered New York harbor, to dis- 
cover what all the other passengers knew, that the ship 
was in full sight of land. He gave a shout of glad re- 
lief and pleasure. " That," he cried, pointing to the west, 
"is Staten Island; but that," pointing to the right, "is 
LAND." 

I quote from my diary June 19, 1895: At nine A. M. 
we boarded the " Paris " in New York harbor. A great 
throng of visitors crowded the deck and rooms of the 
great ship. Fifteen hundred, we were told, were on board 
for the voyage. These, with the visitors, made the throng 
so great that it was impossible to move about. At ten 
the signal was given for visitors to go ashore, and at 
eleven the voyage began. This is my seventh voyage 
across the Atlantic, and, as we sail out upon the uncertain 
sea, I wonder how it will end. 

" Life giving, death giving, which shall it be? 
O breath of the merciful, merciless sea." 

Hitherto I have always had some feeling of anxiety 
as to the result of my sea voyages. Now I am entirely 
free from care. It rests in God's hands, and, whatever 
comes, all will be well. The evening shades darken the 
sea and I go to rest with this prayer; 



lb GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

"The day is ended, ere I sink to sleep 
My weary spirit seeks repose in thine, 
Father, forgive my trespasses and keep 
This little life of mine. 

" With loving-kindness curtain thou my bed, 
And cool in rest my weary pilgrim feet; 
Thy pardon be the pillow for my head, 
So shall my rest be sweet. 

"At peace with all the world, dear Lord, and thee, 
No fears my soul's unwavering faith can shake. 
All's well, whichever side the grave for me 
The morning light may break." 

The " Paris " has fifteen hundred souls on board,"and 
still there's room for more," was said of our ship. By- 
crowding a little, here and there, two thousand men and 
women may be carried across the ocean on this great 
American liner. Think of a country town with a popu- 
lation of two thousand, with its life and activity. The 
" Paris" would provide comfortable quarters for every soul, 
and have room and to spare for all their personal effects 
in her gigantic hold, and would take them all across the 
Atlantic at one time. 

Our voyage was delightfully pleasant. Two days we 
enjoyed a stiff breeze. This gave those who were not good 
sailors an opportunity to become acquainted with the ogre 
of ocean, — seasickness. But few escape the dread malady. 
Then came days of calm weather and smooth seas, and 
everybody was happy and contented. 

A glorious sunset at sea. The only one of the kind I 
ever witnessed. Low down on the western horizon a bank 
of clouds, tipping the water's edge, waited the declining 
god of day. As the sun touched the upper border of 
fleecy clouds, the effect of gold and crimson on sea and 
sky was most gorgeous. Through a rift in the clouds 



LANDING AT SOUTHAMPTON. ig 

the brilliant white light flashed through crimson and gold, 
making a pathway of golden light on the sea, reaching 
to the open gateway of glory in the clouds. It seemed 
as if. the everlasting gates were lifted up for the entrance 
of the expected King of Glory. A gentle breeze made 
the sea all tremulous, and the tiny wavelets reflected the 
light as would a million mirrors. It was a scene of inde- 
scribable beauty, once beheld never to be forgotten. Those 
who saw it were deeply impressed, and from many a heart 
went up adoration to God who painted this marvelous 
scene. Then the twilight and darkness came, shutting out 
from vision sky and sea. But the wonderful picture was 
ours. Surely " a thing of beauty is a joy forever." 

Our Atlantic voyage is ended. The " Paris " is made 
fast to the pier at Southampton, England. A few hasty 
farewells are said to ship friends, a nominal examination 
of our baggage is made by polite and accommodating 
custom officers, and we are seated in the cars ready to 
start for London. Seven days and a half from the harbor 
at New York to the landing at Southampton. A safe, 
pleasant voyage. The Lord was with us all the way, and 
brought us to our desired haven. May he abide with us 
all our journey through, and be with us when our earthly 
pilgrimage ends, as soon it must, for the shadows are 
lengthening. 

London! A city of five and a half million souls, with 
half a million or more houses, great and small, including 
fourteen hundred churches and seven thousand five hun- 
dred drinking saloons, with streets and roads in aggregate 
that would reach from New York to San Francisco and 
back again to Chicago, and which are lighted by more 
than a million gas lamps; a city whose inhabitants eat 
annually over seventeen million bushels of wheat, two and 



20 ■ GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

a quarter million beeves, sheep and hogs, making an an- 
nual meat bill of two hundred and fifty million dollars, 
drink fifty-five million gallons of beer, wine and spirits, 
and burn eight million tons of coal; a city with more 
Irish than in Dublin, with more Roman Catholics than 
in Rome, and more Jews than in Palestine; a city older 
than the Christian era, whose history is the history of 
the rise and progress of the English-speaking race, and in 
which laws are enacted that govern empires and countries 
in all parts of the world, — such a city is the world's great 
metropolis, — the City of London. 

It has been said that to see London is to see the world, 
but, having seen neither the world nor London, we are 
not prepared to say whether the saying is correct. It is 
true we have spent some weeks in the city, and have 
visited a number of its most interesting places; we have 
seen something of its streets and great public buildings, and 
of its rushing, mighty tide of business life; we have seen 
something of its misery and wretchedness, as we have 
met a few of its one hundred and fifty thousand beggars 
and paupers on the streets; we have seen or rather felt 
its fog, but we have not seen the city; that would take 
months instead of weeks. 

In London we heard two of the world's noted preach- 
ers, Dr. Parker and Canon Farrar. Dr. Parker is an in- 
teresting speaker and a deep thinker. He has a command- 
ing presence and a magnetism that carries his audience 
with him. He speaks with great deliberation, and con- 
stantly impresses one with the thought that he is using 
only a small portion of his power. Once or twice during 
the sermon to which we listened, he burst forth in a strain 
of fiery eloquence that revealed his real power. His au- 
dience appeared to be electrified by these outbursts. His 



CANON FARRAR. 21 

language is well chosen and full of beautiful figures. 
Here is one. Speaking of the grave, he asked, with a ris- 
ing inflection of the voice, "What is the grave?" and 
then pausing a moment, so that the question might have 
its full force on the audience, he answered in a voice full 
of pathos, " A wound made in the earth by the metal of 
death." Again, speaking of men who deny God, he asked, 
"What is a man without God?" The answer was full of 
scathing contempt, "A circumference without a center; 
a poor, vain attempt to be a circle, contorted, twisted, 
vanishing into nothing." The tone of voice in which these 
words were uttered made them wonderfully effective. 
His sermon was full of sharp, bristling points, and they 
were put in such language that his audience could easily 
understand. Whatever may be said of Dr. Parker's the- 
ology and of his orthodoxy, he certainly has a wonderful 
power in the pulpit. 

Canon Farrar, the celebrated author and leading min- 
ister in the Established Church of England, is as different 
from Dr. Parker as it is possible for two men to be. He 
is of medium stature, with a full, round face, and speaks 
rather rapidly, without any attempt at oratory. He is a 
man of great learning, and carries his scholastic attain- 
ments with him into the pulpit. He preaches to members 
of both Houses of Parliament, and whenever he preaches 
he has among his auditors members of the English no- 
bility and oftentimes of the royal family. In the center 
of the church is a seat reserved for Americans. We lis- 
tened with much interest to his thirty-minute sermon. 
It was a learned dissertation on the philosophy of the laws 
of nature, and abounded in fine passages. It was a learned, 
finished discourse, intensely intellectual and full of deep 
thought, but to us it seemed like a cut diamond, polished 



22 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

and sparkling, but cold and lifeless. There was in it much 
food for the intellect, but very little for the heart and soul. 

At St. Paul's, London's great cathedral, we heard the 
Dean read the Episcopal service. It was in the highest 
degree formal, for the service " is High Church." It was 
the very aristocracy of religious service; cold, formal, 
and dignified. From St. Paul's to the Salvation Army 
hall is but a short distance, but the contrast is striking 
enough to make one feel that he has entered another 
world. There the rich appointments, the millions of 
wealth, and the quiet reserve and cold dignity character- 
istic of the "High Church" service; here the loud talk, 
the abandon, the swelling song service, the hearty " God 
bless you " and amens, the testimony of the lowly to the 
saving power of Jesus, the tears of the penitent, and 
all the zeal and earnestness characteristic of Salvation 
Army methods. There the men and women of wealth, 
of proud family titles; here the fallen of the street, the 
poor of London's teeming millions. Could contrast be 
greater? If Christ were to come to London to-day, where 
would you expect to find him? Would you go to St. 
Paul's Cathedral, among the rich and mighty, to search 
for him, or would you go among the poor and lowly? 

London presents many sad sights, but the saddest to 
us was a woman staggering along the streets in a state of 
intoxication. We saw women in other parts of Europe 
hitched with dogs to carts; we saw them dragging harrows 
across ploughed fields, but seeing them thus did not touch 
our hearts as did the sight of the drunken woman of Lon- 
don. We have always given woman a high place in the 
world, and have had a high appreciation of her worth and 
influence. After due reflection, at a time of life when 
mere sentiment enters not so largely into an estimate 



WINDSOR PALACE. 23 

of the formative influences upon my own life, I set it down 
as my best judgment, that whatever good may come of 
my having lived in this world, is largely due to the in- 
fluence of two of the nearest and dearest friends I have 
ever known, — wife and mother. The one has long since 
gone to her rich reward, the other is still with me, my 
constant companion in all my wanderings, my ever-ready 
helper in time of need; in the fullest and truest sense of 
the word, my better half. How it saddens the heart to 
see a woman reeling from a dram shop! But why? Does 
she not have the same right to drink, chew and smoke 
that her brother does? Abstractly the answer is yes, but 
we do thank God that she is so much purer, so much 
truer, and so much better in every way, that she stands 
immeasurably above man in these things. But when she 
does fall from her high place, what a fall there is! 

The home of the Queen is to be found at Windsor 
Palace, twenty-one miles from London, and it is the fa- 
vorite home of Victoria, England's most honored ruler. 
A day spent here took us away from the smoke and fog 
of London. The royal family was absent and the palace 
was open to visitors who had secured, from the Lord 
Chamberlain, permission to enter. Without difficulty the 
necessary papers were secured, and we were admitted to 
the royal residence. 

Thirty-four years ago Prince Albert, the husband of 
Queen Victoria, died, and since then she has lived in 
widowhood. For many years she secluded herself from 
society and mourned for her departed husband. To his 
memory she has erected within the Castle walls a me- 
morial chapel bearing her husband's name, where he sleeps 
his last sleep. It stands as one among the most beautiful 
structures in the world, a monument of wifely love and 



24 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

queenly devotion. "The interior, beautiful with colored 
marble, mosaics, sculpture, stained glass, precious stones 
and gilding in extraordinary profusion and richness, must 
certainly be numbered among the finest works of its kind 
in the world. The ceiling is fan-shaped and vaulted, and 
is composed of Venetian enamel mosaics, representing 
angels bearing devices relating to the Prince, and with 
shields symbolical of the Passion. At the sides of the 
west entrance are two marble figures representing the 
Angels of Life and Death. The walls are decorated with 
a series of pictures of Scriptural subjects, inlaid with col- 
ored marbles in which twenty-eight different kinds of 
marble have been used. About each scene is a white 
marble medallion of a member of the royal family, while 
between them are bas-reliefs, emblematical of the virtues. 
Round the edges of the pictures are smaller reliefs in white 
and red marble, and other ornamentation. Below the mar- 
ble pictures is a dark green marble bench; and the floor, 
which is very handsome, is also of colored marble. The 
stained glass windows exhibit ancestors of the Prince, 
while those in the chancel represent Scriptural subjects. 
The wall behind the altar is covered with reliefs and is 
inlaid with colored marble, malachite, porphyry, lapis 
lazuli, and alabaster, having for their subject the resur- 
rection. Rubies, emeralds, and other precious stones are 
set in great profusion in the walls. In the center of the 
chapel is the cenotaph, or monument of the Prince. It 
consists of a handsome sarcophagus of colored marble 
enriched with reliefs. On top of the coffin is a re- 
cumbent figure of the Prince in white marble." Thus 
writes an unknown author, and the picture is not over- 
drawn. An immense sum of money was expended on the 
structure. Victoria visits the place very often and kneels 



STATE APARTMENTS. 25 

to pray at the tomb of the husband whose memory she 
still reveres, although he has been dead more than a third 
of a century. 

The Queen's palace is beautiful, and its rich splendor 
cannot well be described. It is the home of an earthly 
sovereign upon whose dominion the sun never sets. She 
is deeply loved for her virtues by her people and is the 
most honored ruler in Europe. Her private apartments 
are to be seen only by special permission during the ab- 
sence of the sovereign. They are most handsomely and 
sumptuously fitted up. All that money and art could do 
has been done to decorate and beautify the Queen's pri- 
vate home, and England, or even Europe, can show 
nothing finer or more artistic than these rooms. In them 
is to be seen a fine collection of rare china, of oriental, 
Chelsea, and Sevres manufacture, rich mediaeval and ori- 
ental cabinets of curious design and workmanship, heavy 
gold and silver plate of great value, fine oil paintings, 
the work of the masters, and costly furniture, making al- 
together the finest private residence in Europe. 

The state apartments are finely decorated with paint- 
' ings and hung with tapestry, and are rich in fine carvings 
and gilt work. The entire suite of rooms, ten in number, 
is richly and expensively furnished. Costly tapestry, 
representing the story of Esther and Mordecai, and fine 
paintings, the work of the world's great artists, cover the 
walls and ceilings. The floors are of polished oak, cov- 
ered in many places with expensive rugs and velvets. 
We enter the audience chamber and pass through room 
after room until we reach the throne room, one of the 
most richly-furnished rooms in the palace. In one of the 
apartments we were shown the presents sent to the Queen 
in 1887, when she celebrated the golden anniversary of 



26 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

her reign. The crowned heads of Europe vied with each 
other in sending costly gifts. The entire collection, con- 
sisting of vases, plate, and many other articles, is made 
of solid gold in the highest style of the goldsmith's art, 
and is of immense value. 

Back again to London with its fog and smoke. It is 
said the fog is so thick at times that one may stick his 
umbrella into it and hang his hat on the handle; but this 
statement must be taken with some degree of allowance. 
London is by far the busiest city in Europe, or, for that 
matter, in the world. We passed up and down High Hol- 
born Street a number of times, and the moving mass of 
cabs, omnibuses, wagons, carts, and humanity, was a con- 
stant surprise to us. Two great moving processions press- 
ing on constantly, the one east, the other west, resemble two 
great rivers, flowing forever onward. At the street crossing 
policemen stand, and every few minutes stop the mighty 
procession to allow other smaller streams to cross High 
Holborn, and then the street is blocked for miles. Start- 
ing up and stopping, the procession moves on. And so the 
great throng rushes on from Monday morning until Satur- 
day night, — a great moving mass of humanity. 

The rich and the poor jostle each other on the busy 
streets, and oh how many haggard faces, upon which are 
drawn in deep lines the story of sin and misery, one sees in 
the great throng! Here are boys and girls picking up a liv- 
ing on the streets, into whose darkened lives no sunshine ev- 
er comes. The pinched features of want and poverty, the 
hardened expressions of sin and crime on prematurely old 
faces, are to be met on every hand. The picture is dark 
enough and stands out in darker contrast when compared 
with the lavish expenditure of money at Windsor. Booth 
has not overdrawn the picture in his " Darkest England." 



STREET SCENE IN LONDON. 



27 



Chauncey M. Dcpew says that one may see more 
wretchedness and misery in London than any other city in 




SCENE IN LONDON. 



the world; and he might have given the cause, — seven thou- 
sand five hundred drinking places dealing out misery and 



28 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

ruin, many of them twenty-four hours a day for 365 days in 
the year. Take out of London the seven thousand five hun- 
dred saloons and the results of the work they have done, 
and you might write the word "brightest " instead of " dark- 
est " before Britannia's favorite name. But why pursue the 
theme further? We have the same evil at home in almost 
every hamlet, village, town and city in America. Oh when 
will the day come when the saloon power will be wiped 
from the face of the earth? God speed the day! 

From London to Paris, by way of Dover and Calais, 
is a day's journey, provided you count in a portion of the 
night. So it was three years ago when we made the jour- 
ney. One is glad to get away from the rush and roar of 
trade and commerce, the grimy atmosphere, and the suffer- 
ing mass of poverty-stricken humanity in London. It was 
a real pleasure to leave it all, to breathe once more the pure 
country air, and catch a glimpse of the bright sunlight fall- 
ing on green fields. Old England, as seen from the car 
windows — and, outside of London, this was our only means 
of observation — is a beautiful country. Well-kept country 
houses, highly-cultivated farms, with here and there the 
battlements of an old castle nestling in groves of ancient 
oaks, beautiful green lawns, bright with rich-colored flowers, 
hedges trimmed and pruned to wonderful evenness and 
smoothness, fields without waste places, fine-looking herds 
of thorough-bred cattle quietly grazing on the rich pasture 
land, men and women, boys and girls, at work gathering in 
the late fall crops, — all this we saw like a fleeting panorama 
as we rushed across the country some sixty miles from 
London to Dover. 

At one place, not far from a way station, we saw a pack 
of English hounds in full hue and cry after a fox. Follow- 
ing the hounds, on horseback, were a number of the Eng- 



ENGLISH HOUNDS. 2g 

lish gentry. They rode at full speed across the fields, their 
well-trained hunting horses clearing hedges and ditches at 
a single leap and keeping well up with the hounds. The 
fox was far in the lead, and we confess out 1 sympathies were 
all on the side of renard. To see a pack of twenty great 
muscular hounds, and as many more strong men, mounted 
on fleet horses, at break-neck pace chasing a little animal 
across the country, under the name of sport, is a spectacle 
in which the larger animal does not, it seems to us, appear 
to the best advantage. It is considered fine sport, but it is 
hard on the peasant farmers, whose growing crops and 
ploughed fields must suffer, and he has no recourse. He 
mutters and grumbles, and hides his resentment as well as 
he can, he repairs as far as possible the damage done, and 
toils on in his weary work. Thus the strong override the 
weak, and the feeling of resentment grows stronger and 
stronger until some day it bursts forth, and bloodshed and 
revolution result. So history repeats itself, and in the end 
the heel of the oppressor becomes one of the means that 
bring liberty to the downtrodden of earth. 

From England to France in seventy minutes, by the 
Channel steamer, is the usual time if the wind and waves are 
propitious. But what a change the voyage of seventy min- 
utes makes in one's surroundings. A new people, and a 
new language, which, at first, seems a very Babel to us. 
The few words of French we had stored away for this occa- 
sion don't seem to have a place among the strange sounds 
we hear. The question, " Parle z vous Fraucais?" (Do you 
speak French?) coming from a Frenchman's lips, does not 
sound at all as it is written. We listen and wait for a famil- 
iar sound, a word or phrase that we understand, and then 
give it up. 

One phrase we had learned. Showing our tickets to a 



30 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

conductor we remarked: "Defense de fumer," and he at once 
took us to a compartment set apart in one of the cars for 
those who do not smoke. On our railways at home cars 
are set apart for smokers. In Europe smoking is so general 
that compartments are provided for those who do not 
smoke, and a notice to the effect that smoking is forbidden 
is posted on the door. We learned, after enduring tobacco 
smoke for some time, to look for the compartment where 
smokers are not allowed to enter. So far as the phrases 
"No smoking" and "Smoking forbidden" are concerned, 
we became quite a linguist, and we give them in the differ- 
ent languages for the benefit of those who may have occa- 
sion to use them. Danish, Ikke Rogere ; Swedish, Rokning 
Forbjuden; German, Niclit Ranclien; Holland, Neit Rodken; 
French, Defense de Fiuner ; Italian, E proibito di fnmare . 

The City of the Napoleons, Paris, has a population of 
two and a quarter million. One sees the impress of the 
Bonapartes on every hand in this modern city of splendor 
and sin. You are reminded again and again of the First 
Consul and his ambitious nephew, Napoleon III. The fine 
streets and alleys, the grand boulevards and open squares, 
the beautiful gardens and magnificent palaces, the splendid 
monuments and arches of triumph are what these rulers 
made them. Short of destruction, come what may to the 
City of Paris, the name of Napoleon will live within her 
gates. It was the ambition of Napoleon III. to make of 
Paris what Nebuchadnezzar succeeded in making of Baby- 
lon so many centuries ago, — the most beautiful and magnif- 
icent city in all the world. Such was his success that the 
capital of France easily holds the palm and is without rival 
either in the Old or New World. 

Paris is, above all else, a city of pleasure and sin. 
Her ever thronging and surging crowd of humanity is large- 



PARIS. 31 

ly made up of pleasure seekers. She sits as the mistress of 
fashion, and the mandates of her one-time man-milliner, 
Worth, were followed all over the civilized world with a zeal 
worthy a better cause. Fashion rules, and the people seem 
intent on having a good time. The streets, squares and 
public gardens are made to satisfy the desire for pleasure. 
They are studded with costly monuments and life-like stat- 
uary. You may count a hundred life-size figures in marble, 
adorning the palace of Louvre. The garden of the Tuiler- 
ies, in the heart of Paris, contains seventy-four acres. It is 
laid out in the most beautiful flower gardens. Its prome- 
nades, the finest in all the world, are lined with chestnut, 
linden and plane trees. It is adorned with numberless ba- 
sins, flowing fountains and statues. Life-size, nude human 
figures, cut from pure white marble, abound on every hand. 
An eminent author says there is enough nude statuary ex- 
posed in Paris to send, in a few years, " any city in Europe 
into the damnation of the foulest social hell." In Paris sin 
has no covering. It is open and brazen-fronted. The very 
customs of society present it openly to the world. The 
drinking saloon has no screen before its door, or shades at 
its windows. Its doors are thrown wide open, and much 
of the drinking is done at small tables under awnings on 
the sidewalk. At some of the large drinking-saloons you 
may often count a hundred men and women, seated pro- 
miscuously at tables, drinking, talking, laughing, and hav- 
ing, as they call it, " a good time." Men and women who 
are looked upon as moral outcasts by all good people are 
here petted and flattered. The moral statistics show a state 
of affairs that " only suggests the enormity of the vice and 
shame covered by the show and splendor of this proud City 
of Napoleon that was." 

The cause of this social pollution is not hard to find. 



S3 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

The teachings of Voltaire, Rousseau and other infidel writ- 
ers had a powerful influence on the minds of the French. 
The influence of Christianity was weakened, and Reason 
was enthroned as the God of Paris. One of the oldest and 
most noted churches in the city, Notre Dame, was converted 
into a Temple of Reason, and within this temple of philos- 
ophy was raised (after the Greek style, adorned with busts 
of Voltaire, Rousseau and others), a statue representing 
Reason seated on a throne, receiving in state the worship 
of her votaries. Prostitutes clothed in white, with torches 
in their hands, surrounded the inner temple, while in the 
side chapels sacrifices were offered, accompanied with the 
wildest revelry and the most disgraceful orgies. It was 
the teaching of the infidels, carried to its logical conclusions. 

The final result of this teaching may be read in the 
Reign of Terror, at the close of the last century, which del- 
uged the streets of Paris a hundred times with blood. The 
Commune, guided only by the teachings of infidelity, 
sacked, robbed and murdered at their own free will, and 
Paris paid the penalty of a city that forgets God. But the 
spirit of unbelief did not die out with the restoration of or- 
der, and it has come down to the close of another century. 
In 1871 the Commune again ruled for a brief period, again 
blood flowed like water, and to-day the city is cursed by the 
influences set at work more than a hundred years ago by 
infidel teachers. Nominally, the great mass of the people 
are Roman Catholics; practically, there is but little of the 
true spirit of the religion of Jesus of Nazareth to be found 
in this beautiful, pleasure-loving city. 

Take for example the Christian Sabbath. There is, 
strictly speaking, no such day known in Paris. The first 
day of the week is the one, more than all others, devoted to 
business and pleasure. Dance-houses, drinking-saloons, 



PLAGUE SPOT OF EUROPE. 33 

theaters, and all like places of public amusement are open 
all the day. In flaming handbills and in the newspapers 
horse races and public games are advertised to take place 
on that day. Business houses are all kept open, and we 
were told that Sunday is the great business and pleasure 
day in the City of Paris, and that more business is transact- 
ed on that day than on any other day of the week. From 
what we saw of the great crowds of people on the streets, 
we did not for a moment doubt the truth of the statement. 
In this respect the contrast between London and Paris is 
very great. In the former city the Lord's Day is strictly 
observed. Stores, shops, restaurants and all places of busi- 
ness are closed, and the streets have a quiet and deserted 
look, but in Paris the people go out on Sunday for business 
and pleasure. 

Many wealthy Americans send their sons and daughters 
to Paris to finish their education. Dr. Hott, who looked in- 
to the social condition of the city, says: " I cannot see how 
Christian Americans can send their daughters here to be 
educated, unless they first lose their regard for common 
decency and purity of morals." Socially, it is the plague 
spot of Europe, and some day it will again pay a terrible 
price for its sin and corruption, the fruit of infidelity. His- 
tory shows how great a loss humanity suffers when the in- 
fluence of the Bible and Christianity is weakened or lost,, 
and just as surely as infidelity has made of Paris what she 
is, just so surely will the teachings of Ingersoll and his dis- 
ciples, if they prevail, produce similar results in our own 
beloved America. May that day never come to our own 
prosperous country! 

To us, one of the most discouraging phases of Parisian 
life is the almost total lack of homes. The hotel and 
boarding-house take the place of one among the most.sa- 



34 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

cred, and, so far as its influence goes, one of the best insti- 
tutions in the world, — the Christian home. In Paris, 
homes, as we know them, scarcely exist. Indeed, the term 
is not found in the French language, neither has it an 
equivalent for that most endearing word, home. Feeling 
the need of the word the French have borrowed it from the 
English. To those who regard the Christian home as the 
most sacred place in this world, and around which cluster 
so many happy memories that are never forgotten, it seems 
almost incredible that people should live without homes in 
the true sense of the word. Doubtless to the fact that 
there are no real homes in Paris may be attributed, at least 
to some extent, the low condition of the morality of the 
city. Young people marry and instead of setting up house- 
keeping and making a home for themselves, they set up an 
establishment at a hotel or boarding-house, and the idea of 
a home is entirely lost. The evils of the system are appar- 
ent to any one who will take time to think upon and study 
the question. The same system is gaining in some of our 
American cities, and it will surely be a sad day for us when 
our homes are given up for the uncertainties of hotel and 
boarding-house life. 



CHAPTER II. 



To Scandinavia — Nordland — The Coast of Norway — Beautiful 
Scenery — The Loi'e of the Norwegian for his Home — The Lap- 
lander — Home Life of the People — Eating Horse-flesh — The 
Sun at Midnight. 

"And then up rose before me, 

Upon the water's edge, 
The huge and haggard shape 

Of that unknown North Cape, 
Whose form is like a wedge." 

A journey from the City of Gilded Sin to the homes of 
the common people in Scandinavia affords a most striking 
contrast and gives one a feeling of indescribable relief. It 
is like leaving a hothouse with its damp, heavy, steamy air 
and going out into God's glorious sunlight and pure free at- 
mosphere. The journey takes us on our way to the " Land 
of the Midnight Sun." It means a run by rail through 
France, Belgium and Germany to Kiel, and it may be made 
in twenty-four hours by fast train, Schnellzug, as the Ger- 
mans say. At Kiel a steamer awaits your arrival, ready to 
take you across an arm of the East Sea to Korsor, and you 
are in Denmark. 

Dane, Swede, and Norwegian have those sterling quali- 
ties which make home and home life possible. Thrice we 
traveled through the Northern Peninsula of Europe, and 
were much impressed with the honesty, piety and morality 
of the people. One should see the coast with its mountains 
and fjords, from Bergen to North Cape, as we saw it in 
1892, and then travel by railway and private conveyance up 

C-,7) 



38 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

and down and across the country, as we did on this and pre- 
ceding tours, in order to become acquainted with country 
and people. 

Going back to my notebook I find this written: I was 
much interested in noting the vegetation as we traveled 
northward. Wheat grows and produces a fair yield up to 
the 64th degree of north latitude. Rye, the universal crop 
in Scandinavia, with oats and barley, is harvested nearly as 
far north as the 70th degree. Great forests of spruce and 
pine are to be found in Norway; and the wood is especially 
valuable, owing to the fact that in this high latitude timber 
is of slow growth, which makes it stronger and firmer. The 
rings which mark its annual increase in size are very close 
together. The fir, the spruce, the white birch, beech, oak 
and maple also abound in the forests of the North. Plums 
abound as far north as 64 degrees, and apples almost up to 
the Arctic circle, while cherries are found even beyond the 
line that separates the temperate from the frigid zone. 
Gooseberries, currants, strawberries and raspberries may be 
found north of Hammerfest, at North Cape, 71 ° 10.' 

In addition to the warm ocean current which modifies 
the climate of Scandinavia, the long Arctic summer days 
are helpful in ripening grain and fruit. In midsummer the 
sun does not go below the horizon from the middle of May 
until in August, and the continuous sunshine forces vegeta- 
tion very rapidly. It is noticeable that the leaves on the 
same species of maple are much larger here than farther 
south. 

The entire coast of Norway, from Bergen to North 
Cape, is a great chain-like archipelago with thousands of 
mountain islands. The sea cuts into the mainland, and the 
larger islands form what are called, in Norwegian, fjords, or 
arms of the sea. Many of the fjords are very large, that of 



NORWEGIAN FJORDS. 39 

Trondhjem being 120 miles long and of considerable width. 
Our ship's course northward carried us over the waters of 
the great arms of the sea, among the thousand islands with 
their great mountain walls rising abruptly from the sea, in 
height from one to three thousand feet. The scenery pre- 
sented, as we coast along the rockbound shores of Norway, 
baffles description. In grandeur it does not compare with 
our own old Rockies or with the Alps of Switzerland, but it 
has a rough, rugged beauty which is all its own, and which 
we have never seen equaled. If the great valleys of the 
Rockies could be filled with water fifty fathoms deep and 
then opened one into another so as to be navigable, we 
should have the coast of Norway reproduced, only on a 
much larger and grander scale. 

We are having most delightful weather for our northern 
trip. The days and nights, if half daylight can be called 
night, are wonderfully bright and clear. One of the beau- 
ties of the Arctic region is the clear atmosphere. The cap- 
tain of our ship tells us that we are having unusually fine 
weather, and that rain is quite common at this season of the 
year, which sadly mars the interest of the trip; but, except 
the first day, we have had bright, clear weather since we left 
Trondhjem. In the pure atmosphere every mountain peak 
is sharply and distinctly cut, and the lights and shadows 
formed are a study for an artist. 

The fjords at many places have the appearance of great 
inland lakes, walled in on all sides by precipitous mountains 
of bleak granite. The water is as smooth as glass, and the 
ship glides steadily over its unruffled surface. We are shut 
in by mountains and no opening appears by which we are 
to go forward on our voyage. At last a break in the moun- 
tain wall is seen, the ship, obedient to her rudder, which is 
in the hands of a trusty pilot, glides into a great gorge on- 



40 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

ly wide enough to allow her free passage, and we enter an- 
other open fjord; and this ever-changing scenery continues 
for a thousand miles. 

We are led over and over again to express our wonder 
and admiration at the wonderful works of the Lord, and 
here on the rocky coast of Norway we have sermon after 
sermon preached to us that we shall never forget. Upon 
these great arms of the sea, amid the granite battlements, 
reared by the hand of the Almighty, God speaks as plainly 
to the soul that is searching for him as he does in his re- 
vealed will, and the interpretation of the language is, " O 
Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou 
made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." 

Wife and I sit together hour after hour on the deck of 
the " Kong Halfdan," drinking in the grand, rugged beauty 
of the ever-changing scenery. The days are delightfully 
clear and pleasant, and the time speeds away unnoticed. 
We are lost in admiration, and before we are aware of it ev- 
ening comes, or, rather, what would be evening if we were 
at home. Here in this wonderland we have daylight all the 
time. Even now at midnight we have a bright twilight, for 
the sun has sunk only a few diameters below the horizon, 
and we have not yet crossed the Arctic circle. As we go 
farther north we shall have less and less of night until we 
reach a point where, for a time at least, it may be said, 
"And there shall be no more night there." 

As I sit alone in the large stateroom of our steamer 
and write these lines, the hands on the dial of the clock in- 
dicate that the hour of midnight draws near, and I go on 
deck. The scene is most wondrous for its beauty and 
grandeur, and it will not, while life and reason last, fade 
from our memory. The night is brilliantly clear and 
bright. To the north not a single star is to be seen, and the 



THE NORTHERN LIGHTS. 41 

words of the sage of Mesopotamia, set down in the Bible, 
are shown to be literally true: " He stretcheth out the north 
over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." 
Our course lies centrally through a great arm of the sea, 
apparently surrounded by mountains that stand out in clear 
and bold relief in the transparent atmosphere. In the 
southeast the full moon, like a great globe of pale light, 
hangs just above the rim of the inland lake and casts a sil- 
very sheen across its calm waters. It seems to be many 
times nearer the earth than we ever saw it before, but it is 
shorn of much of its brilliancy by the twilight when the 
midnight sun has sunk below the glowing horizon, and by 
the wonderful gleams of the Northern lights as they send 
their white light far up into the northern heavens. The 
commingling of the different shades of light, as they fall 
upon sea and mountain, produces an effect so wonderful 
in its rich beauty that it cannot be set down on paper. 
The pen of a Taylor or the pencil of a Raphael could never 
equal the task of describing this wonderful scene. We can 
only behold and wonder. It is well worth a trip to the 
Northern climes to see the grandeur of such a night, and it 
is the experience of a lifetime to behold a sight like this, 
which we have but faintly described. 

How the Almighty Creator has beautified the universe, 
and how wonderful are all his works! The soul of the 
sweet singer of Israel must have been stirred to its depths 
by a scene like this when he exclaimed, " The heavens de- 
clare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his 
handiwork." What a time for meditation in the presence of 
these earthly scenes, so grand arid so beautiful, and how the 
soul goes out to God and bows in worship to him as it 
stands in the presence chamber of its Creator! 

In these high altitudes the tops of the mountains are 



42 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

covered with snow. The snow comes down to the line of 
green grass where you may pluck bright Arctic flowers with 
one hand and make snowballs with the other. North of 69 
degrees I gathered a bouquet of beautiful wild flowers of a 
dozen different varieties, some of which were sent to friends 
at home. Then there are the great glaciers of everlasting 
ice and snow slowly but surely creeping down the valleys. 
Our photogravure represents the glacier of Svartisen, which 
is thirty-five miles in length and ten miles in width. 

A narrow coast line and little valleys opening into the 
hills and mountains afford a few acres of arable land, 
where the hardy Norwegian farmer has made himself a 
comfortable home. He owns the land and pays no rent or 
interest on mortgages. His field of rye yields all he needs 
for bread. He has just finished harvesting, and the sheaves 
are placed on upright poles to facilitate drying. A small 
patch of potatoes and a few acres~ of grass complete his 
farming. This he supplements by fishing, and altogether 
he gets on quite well. Our glass enables us to see him at 
work in his rocky field, cutting, drying and gathering in his 
hay. The grass, after cutting, is placed on horizontal poles 
a few feet above the ground, so that it dries more readily. 
Far up the mountain-side you may see him as he searches 
out every tuft of grass and cuts it for his horse and cows, 
for the long dark winter night is coming, and they must 
have food. A strong wire is stretched from his barn to a 
tree on the mountain side; when the grass is dried he ties it 
into bundles, fastens the bundles to the wire and sends 
them by his telegraph line directly to his haymow, thus 
saving himself many a weary step. His farm has the ap- 
pearance of being well attended to, and his mountain home 
has a look of comfort and prosperity that is pleasant to see. 



THAT IS MY HOME. 45 

Here he lives in moderate comfort, works hard, has but few 
wants, and is happy. 

These people have a strong love for their country and 
homes. We are informed that if a man sells his home he 
may redeem it again after five years, or any one of his sons 
may have the same privilege. In either case the price at 
which it was sold is to be paid with the exact cost of im- 
provements added. After five years the sale becomes ab- 
solute. Very often farms that have been sold are redeemed 
as provided by law. 

On our way north we met an intelligent Norwegian 
who had spent some time in America, and who spoke Eng- 
lish quite fluently. He had been in Chicago and had trav- 
eled over our great western prairies, and then had returned 
again to old Norway. In answer to our question, " Did you 
not like America?" he replied, "Oh yes, but my home here 
much better." As our steamer rounded a sharp curve, we 
entered a beautiful little bay, and there close up to the 
mountain side stood a few well-built houses, surrounded by 
probably a hundred acres of tillable ground. It was a 
beautiful little spot. "That," said our friend with a gleam 
of pride in his eye, " that is my home!' After all, there is no 
place in this world like home, and it requires only loving 
companionship and a few of the comforts of this life, with 
godliness and contentment, to make a home anywhere. 
Somehow, as we watched our friend of a few hours go 
down into the little boat and row ashore, where loving 
hearts were waiting to welcome him, our thoughts went out 
to our own western home, six thousand miles away, and we 
wished it were our own home coming. 

Many of these hardy sons of the North go to America, 
and they make excellent citizens, but they never fail to re- 
visit the old home if they are able to do so. The love they 



46 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

have for their country is set forth in the following simple 
lines which we find in our Norwegian grammar: 

"Ja ! herligt er mil Fodeland 
Den Gamle Klippefaste Norge 
Med Sommerdal og Vinterborge, 
Der Evig trodser Tidens Tand 
Om Kloden rokkes end, dets Fjelde 
Shall Stormen dog ej kanne faelde." 

A literal translation reads as follows: 

" Yes! glorious is my native land, the ancient cliff-bound Norway, 
with summer valley and winter fastness, which ever defies the tooth of 
time. Even if the globe be shaken, the storm shall be unable to over- 
throw its mountains." 

"Mm A'orske Vinter cr saa vakker: 
De hvide Snebedaeckte Bakker 
Og gronnc Gran med Pudret Haar 
Og trofast Is paa dybe Vande 
Og Engledragt paa nogne Strande 
Jeg by tier neppe mod en Vaar." 

"My Norwegian winter is so beautiful: the snow-clad hills, and 
green pines with powdered hair, and steadfast ice on deep lakes, and 
angel garb on barren shores, I would hardly exchange for spring." 

The natural scenery in these far northern regions ex- 
cites the liveliest interest by its ever-changing variety. 
The total absence of night at this season of the year, the pe- 
culiar light of the moon, and the display of the Northern 
lights, all go to make up a picture that can be seen only in 
this part of the world. Then, too, as one writer* has said: 
The weather, the winds, and the fogs, the play of light and 
shade, the purity of the atmosphere are all unlike corre- 
sponding phenomena in other parts of the world. The ani- 
mal world is of extraordinary richness. The sea teems with 
cod, herring, skate and other fish. Whales are frequently 
seen spouting columns of water into the air, or rising to the 

*Baedeker. 



LAPP HUTS. 49 

surface in unwieldy gambols. Swarms of eider duck swim 
near every island, and the air is full of sea gulls. Often one 
may see the industrious sea gull robbed of its prey by the 
skua, which, unable to fish for itself, compels the gull to 
drop its booty, and with unerring dexterity catches it be- 
fore it reaches the water. Often the water is ruffled by 
shoals of herring pursued by the seal, to escape from which 
they dart into the nets spread for them, or even spring 
ashore. 

In these Arctic waters whales abound and afford a rich 
harvest of oil for the hardy seamen of the North. A large 
oil factory was located in one of the fjords we entered. 
Sixteen great whales, captured out at sea, had been towed 
into the little harbor, where in turn the huge carcasses were 
to be cut up and turned into oil. One great monster had 
been dragged ashore, as is shown in our engraving. 

We must not pass by the Lapps, who now are to be 
found only in the far-away frozen North. These interesting 
people somewhat resemble the American Indian in their 
habits. We found their huts built of sticks and stones, cov- 
ered with birch bark and sod. They are dome-shaped with 
a hole in the top to let out the smoke from the fire which is 
kept burning in the center, over which a pot is suspended. 
Fine brush cut from birch trees are laid on the ground all 
around the inside of the hut, and on these are laid the rein- 
deer skins which serve as beds at night and a sitting-place 
in daytime. The huts are filthy and forbidding in their ap- 
pearance, but not more so than the Lapps themselves. 
Their dress from head to foot is made of the reindeer skin 
tanned with the hair on, and as this kind of clothing wears a 
long time and is never washed, our readers may well imag- 
ine that cleanliness is not a virtue among these people. 

Men and women dress so nearly alike that, so far as 



50 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

their clothing is concerned, it is difficult to distinguish be- 
tween them. The only difference observable to us was that 
the women are less in stature and their hair is longer and 
more matted and tangled than that of the men. They sur- 
rounded us as soon as we entered their camp and it was 
wonderful how many men, women, children and dogs came 
out of a single hut. The dog is a family companion and oc- 
cupies his place in the wigwam. They had many articles of 
their own manufacture which they offered to sell us. 
Spoons made of reindeer horn, shoes made of the skin of 
the same animal, and many other things were pressed upon 
our notice. We were strongly urged to make purchases, 
and judging from the persistent efforts made for this pur- 
pose we concluded that the Lapps would, under favorable 
circumstances, make very good shopkeepers and salesmen. 

The reindeer is the Lapps' chief source of wealth. In 
the summer its milk supplies them with wholesome and 
nutritious food; when winter approaches large numbers are 
killed, the flesh is dried and smoked, to be eaten during the 
dark winter months. When the ground is covered with 
snow the reindeer is harnessed to the boat-like sledge and 
carries the Lapp over the crusted snow with wonderful ra- 
pidity. From its skin clothing is made; the sinews furnish 
thread and fishing lines of great strength, and its horns are 
made into spoons, knife handles, sheaths, and various do- 
mestic utensils. The flesh of the reindeer, of which we ate 
frequently on our trip, is very palatable, and the tongue is 
considered a luxury. 

The Lapps belong to the yellow race; they are small of 
stature, the men being less than five feet, and the women 
about four, or less. The largest men we saw among them 
would not weigh over one hundred pounds. They have 
high cheek bones, low foreheads, the top of the head some- 



THE REINDEER. 5 I 

what flattened, and light, yellow hair. Their bones are 
small, and they have but little muscle. We saw five of 
them tugging at the carcass of a reindeer that would have 
weighed perhaps 125 pounds, and they seemed to have 
about all they could do to carry it. The race is becoming 
extinct; there are now only about 30,000 of them left. 
Once they dominated the whole of Scandinavia, but, like 
the American Indians, were compelled to give way before 
the strong tide of civilization. 

Efforts are made to civilize them, and missionaries 
from the State church of Norway are sent among them, but 
as they are constantly moving from place to place it is a 
very difficult matter to bring them under the influence of 
civilization. Further than this, they have learned the use 
of tobacco and intoxicants from our higher civilization. 
They all use tobacco, and many of them are addicted to 
drunkenness. Outside of this, they are a harmless, honest, 
inoffensive and interesting people. 

The camp of Lapps at Tromso own, it is said, between 
four and five thousand head of reindeer, valued at four dol- 
lars each. They drive them from place to place for pas- 
ture, and in this respect are something like the descendants 
of Ishmael in Palestine. During the summer months the 
pasture is plentiful in the valleys, and the animals soon be- 
come plump and fat on the nutritious grass. In the winter 
they live on the moss that covers the rocks, and with their 
sharp hoofs they dig it up from under the deep snow with 
wonderful dexterity. The reindeer is milked twice a week, 
and gives an abundant supply of strong, rich milk. 

The home life of the farmer and laborer of any country 
is an interesting and instructive study, and this is especially 
true of northern Europe. Since the days of Taylor's in- 
comparable books of travel, Europe has been written about 



52 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



over and over, again and again, and yet but little has been 
said about the home life of the country people, the bone 
and sinew of the civilized world. Even Taylor fails to give 
more than a mere glimpse of the inner life of the masses, 
and we may search in vain for books that tell us how the 
country people live. The reason for this is obvious. As a 




ROSKILDE. DENMARK. 



rule travelers pursue the beaten track; they go from city to 
city, live in hotels, and see the country only from the car 
window. Palaces, picture galleries, works of art, great 
buildings, old ruins and places of historic interest, royalty, 
notable men and women, politics and kindred topics form 
the staples from which most writers draw their materials. 



DANISH HOME LIFE. 



53 



If they go into the country at all, they are met with the nat- 
ural reserve which total strangers receive the world over, 
and fail to see the people at their best. They cannot give 
the home life of the country, because they do not see it. 
In this respect I enjoyed some advantages not accorded to 
others. The members of our mission churches live for the 
most part in the country. Speaking publicly in villages 




MALMO, SWEDEN. 



and farmhouses I came into close contact with the people. 
We were cordially invited into their homes, and they gave 
us such a warm welcome and received us with such a kindly 
spirit, that we met and parted not as strangers, but as 
warm-hearted friends; and this was not only among our 
own people, for this kind reception was quite general. 



54 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

The Danish people have a rough exterior, and unless 
one learns to know them well they are apt to appear harsh 
and repulsive. The rough, guttural sounds in their lan- 
guage add to the first impression. Such words as Skall, 
Ikke, Pige, Selskab, grate harshly on the ear. But beneath 
the rough exterior I found warm, sympathetic, loving 
hearts, and was led to conclude that the worst side of the 
Dane is the outside. The Swedes, on the other hand, are 
more cultured and refined, their language is smoother and 
much more musical than the Danish. As a rule they are 
cheerful and happy and make a favorable impression on the 
stranger. The)' are exceedingly fond of music and sing 
well. Sweden has produced some notable singers, promi- 
nent among them Jenny Lind, "the Swedish Nightingale," 
as she was appropriately called. The Swedes are, as a rule, 
open-hearted, kind and hospitable, and they succeed in 
making one feel very much at home among them. 

In Scandinavia the farmhouses are generally but one 
story high, and often the living apartments of the family 
and the stables for the horses and cattle are found "under 
the same straw roof. The stories are low, being only from 
six to eight feet high. The doors are not high enough to 
allow a man above the medium height to enter without 
stooping. On several occasions I was made sensible of this 
fact, and learned by experience to take the advice of the 
philosopher who said: "If you learn to stoop as you go 
through the world, you will escape many hard knocks." 
On some of the large farms the stables are built at right, 
angles with the house, forming an open square. At other 
places the buildings form a square with a driveway between 
stables and farmhouse. Others, having caught the spirit of 
modern improvement, build fine, two-story farmhouses in 



SCANDINAVIAN FARMHOUSES. 



55 



the midst of beautiful grounds, and the barns and stables 
are at some distance from the house. 

The interior of many of the houses is devoid of com- 
fort. Cooking stoves are rarely found among the poorer 
class of farmers. The kitchen, paved with brick or stone, 
and in some cases with a door opening directly into the sta- 




A FARMHOUSE. 



ble where the cows are kept, is supplied with a large, open 
fireplace, with a raised hearth two feet higher than the 
floor. Here the fire is built, here pots, kettles and spiders 
are set, and here the cooking is done. The first meal of the 
day is coffee and black bread, served, as we found at one 
place in north Denmark, before we were out of bed. The 



56 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

coffee and bread were brought to us at a very early hour, 
and we were invited to sit up in bed and eat and drink. 
Wife said: "I can never drink coffee in this place;" but a 
desire to accept the hospitality so generously offered over- 
came her scruples, and we partook of the proffered refresh- 
ments. Breakfast follows, and the kind of food depends 
upon the pocketbook of your entertainer. Among the 
poor, black bread with lard is the staple article of food. 
Butter is a luxury almost unknown to them, and often they 
must be content to eat their bread without lard. 

Black bread, made from unbolted rye flour, about as 
dark in color as the old-fashioned gingerbread made with 
dark molasses, which we relished so much in our boyhood 
days, is found on every table. Sour leaven is used, and 
the bread is just sour enough to make it very unpala- 
table to those who are used to eating sweet bread. When 
it can be found sweet and fresh it is not unpleasant to the 
taste; Bolted rye flour is also used by those who can af- 
ford it, and it makes an excellent quality of dark bread 
which is healthful and very palatable. 

Horse meat is used quite extensively, and in all the 
larger towns and cities shops are licensed for the sale of 
Hestckiod, horse flesh. It is much cheaper than beef or 
pork and is often found on the tables of well-to-do people. 
Since the removal of the prohibition against American pork, 
meat will doubtless be cheaper here. 

The following incident may illustrate the truth of the 
old proverb, " Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be 
wise."- We were very kindly and hospitably entertained in 
the home of a prosperous and well-to-do merchant. The 
good wife had prepared coffee for us. The neat little table, 
with snowy white linen and delicate china, white bread, but- 
ter, cheese and dried meat presented a very tempting ap- 



HORSE MEAT. 59 

pearance to the hungry travelers. The dried meat, which 
looked very much like the home-made dried beef of such 
excellent quality, which one finds in Pennsylvania and 
Maryland, was very tempting to the appetite. I ate some 
of it, and it tasted very good. I ate more, and gave it a 
favorable recommendation to my wife, who also ate and 
pronounced it good. Our Bro. Olssen, who sat by our side, 
said: "You seem to be very fond of horse meat." Our 
readers may imagine the result; my entire internal anatomy 
rebelled, and it was only by the most persistent effort that I 
remained at the table and completed the meal with due 
dignity and propriety. I have no appetite for horse meat, 
but it did taste good. 

Woman works indoors and out, and her lot is a hard 
one. Hard labor of all kinds is imposed upon her. She 
works in the field, mowing, making hay, binding grain, 
hauling and spreading the contents of the barnyard on the 
land; in fact she does about all kinds of farm work. She 
must often be the housekeeper, the mother of the family 
and the field laborer. As a result, she cannot pay much at- 
tention to her household duties, and, from our standpoint, 
the home is often of necessity sadly neglected. 

In parts of northern Europe, especially in Germany, I 
have seen women and clogs hitched together to heavily 
loaded hand wagons drawing them through the streets. 
Dogs are often used as draught animals. The accompany- 
ing picture shows a milkman with dogs hitched to his cart. 

Men, women and children wear the universal wooden 
shoe, with heavy woolen stockings. When they go into the 
house the shoes are taken off, and it is not an unusual thing 
to see a large number of wooden shoes of various sizes at 
the door as you enter the farmhouse. The wooden shoe- 
maker flourishes in every village. For men's shoes he gets 



60 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

one and one-half kroners, or forty cents a pair, and for 
smaller ones in proportion. His tools consist of several 
auger-like gouges with which he makes the inner shape of 
the foot. A common drawing-knife and a "shaving-horse" 
complete the outfit, and the shoemaker prides himself up- 
on the neat shape he can give the foot-wear he turns out. 
We tried our hand at the work, but found that even mak- 
ing wooden shoes is a trade that must be learned. 

Wages are very low. At Hjordum we met a strong, 
healthy-looking girl of sixteen who told us that she was em- 
ployed on a farm by the year, the owner of which was a 
fisherman. Her work was indoors and out, as her services 
were needed. Cleaning fish, helping with the nets and 
lines, working on the farm, she labored from twelve to fif- 
teen hours a day, Sunday included, and she received only 
thirty kroners, $8.10 per year for her hard work. The high- 
est wages paid to girls on the farms is ninety kroners, $24.30 
per year. We interviewed laboring men and women in the 
fields and found that they were working at starvation wages. 
At one place we talked with a man who was cutting rye. 
After trying his scythe, and proving to our satisfaction that 
the work was not easy, we asked him what wages he re- 
ceived, and could scarcely believe him when he said fifty 
ore, thirteen and one-half cents per day. He explained that 
his health was poor, and not being strong he could not get 
higher wages. The women who bound the grain after him 
received the same wages. The wages for farm laborers 
vary in different localities; but one kroner, twenty-seven 
cents a day, is considered fair wages. W T e notice advertise- 
ments in the newspapers in which servant girls offer to 
work for sixty kroners per year, or about thirty-one cents a 
week. 

In conversation with some of the "iris they were told 



WAGES. 6 1 

of two dollars a week in America, and it seemed like a fairy 
tale to them. When I told them that as a rule, our women 
did not work in the fields, and in the West did not milk or 
blacken boots, one old woman in the company with much 
apparent surprise said: "Well, what do your women do? 
They must be lazy." I was not willing to admit the im- 
peachment, and explained that our women paid much more 
attention to housekeeping and indoor work than was done 
in Denmark. It might have been added that some of the 
work, such as crocheting and fancy needlework did not 
seem to have much practical value, but I simply made a 
mental note of the fact. I also noted the fact that if some 
of our people at home, who are dissatisfied with their lot, 
could live here a while they would learn some lessons in 
economy that would be helpful to them, and would be glad 
to go back again to America, where the conditions are so 
much more favorable for the laboring classes than they are 
here. 

The custom of every one helping himself at the table 
prevails in Sweden. At the eating houses a large table is 
found in the center of the room on which are placed soup, 
meats, vegetables, bread, butter, cheese, etc., etc. Plates, 
knives, forks and spoons are placed at one end of the table. 
Those who dine take a plate, knife and fork, then march 
around the table, taking what they want, and then retire to 
small tables and eat. In this way soup, fish, meats and 
dessert are served, a clean plate being taken with each 
course. It looked singular enough to us to see twenty or 
thirty men and women marching around the great center 
table, helping themselves to the tempting viands. The 
same custom prevails in the private family. 

Whether the Danes, or Dans, as the old name runs, 
and which is yet to be found in old manuscripts and in- 



62 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

scriptions, are, as some writers seem to think, the descend- 
ants of the lost tribe of Dan, we shall not pretend to say, 
but we were struck by the similarity of some things we 
saw here with those found in Palestine. The one-handled 
plow is used here quite extensively, and the old-fashioned 
hand-mill, so common in Palestine, has been so recently in 
use here that we saw many discarded millstones. The 
women did much of the grinding here not many years ago. 
A sister told me that when she was young she often helped 
to grind at the mill, and that before her conversion, remem- 
bering Christ's words, " Two women shall be grinding at the 
mill, one shall be taken and the other left," she always 
dreaded to assist at the grinding. 

The windmill and in many places the water mill have 
superseded the old hand-mills. The former, with its great 
arms spread out to catch the wind, is to be seen every- 
where. The arrangement for turning the wheel when the 
wind changes is quite in keeping with the primitive charac- 
ter of the country. The mill is built on a central pivot and 
a large, bent arm reaches to the ground. When the wind 
changes, as it does quite frequently, the miller, by the use 
of a chain, a windlass and a long lever, turns the entire 
mill around. Some of the modern mills are arranged so 
that only the top is turned. 

In some parts of Sweden the ground is covered with 
large boulders. The farmer ploughs up the soil among the 
boulders, pulverizes it and then sows the rye. In sowing, 
some of the grain falls upon the rocks, but it is not left 
there for the fowls of the air. We noticed women with 
brooms, made of brush, sweeping the tops of the stones, 
and upon inquiry learned that they were sweeping the seed 
and little soil off the rocks so that it might not be wasted. 
More than two-thirds of the surface of some of the fields 



THE WINDMILL. 63 

are covered with large boulders. It is hard work with but 
scant reward for the labor expended, and yet the farmers 
seem happy and do not complain at their hard lot. 

Before leaving Scandinavia on our journey to the 
Golden Gate, we go northward on Swedish soil to the 
home of the Lapp and Finn. Comparatively speaking, 
only a short time ago the northern part of the Scandi- 
navian Peninsula was an unknown country. The hardiest 
and most adventurous traveler dared not invade the re- 
gions lying north of the arctic circle. Mount Avasaxa, 
a little south of the circle, from which a perfect view 01 
the midnight sun can be had June 22-25, was l° n g the 
northern limit of aspiring travelers. It was easily reached 
from the head of the Bothnian Gulf. The records kept 
since 1681, in an old church near the mountain, give the 
names of a number of distinguished explorers who visited 
the place during the seventeenth and the early part of 
the eighteenth century. But steam and electricity have 
changed all this. Swedish enterprise and skillful engineer- 
ing have built a railway far north of the polar circle, 
and the frigid zone is invaded by steam engine and rail- 
way trains. We are carried by rail to Malmberg, a little 
beyond the sixty-seventh degree of north latitude. 

By rail, 1,245 miles north of Copenhagen, with a va- 
riation of a few degrees eastward, we reach Gel-li-va-re 
which is, so far as we know, the northernmost railway town 
in the world. It is five miles south of the iron mills at 
Malmberg. Leaving the capital of Denmark at 11: 30 A. 
M., on Tuesday, July 9, we arrived at Gel-li-va-re on the 
following Friday. After passing Stockholm we traveled 
by day and rested at night. This is a matter of necessity, 
for the train stops for two nights on the way. At Gel- 
li-va-re we found excellent lodging at very reasonable rates, 



64 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

and here we spent three days, — " and nights " — we were 
going to write, but the word night is a misnomer, for we 
had bright sunshine and daylight during the entire sev- 
enty-two hours of our stay. But it is hard to realize that 
we are in a land where there is no night. One of our 
difficulties is to get sleep enough. Yesterday, after taking 
what at home would have been our evening meal, we sat 
down to write. We wrote on and became absorbed in 
the work. After the lapse of some time, wife said, " Do 
you know what time it is?" And behold it was nearly 12 
o'clock, and ought to have been as dark as midnight, but 
it was as light as day. 

On Friday, July 12, at 10 P. M., we started to climb 
the observatory on Mount Dundret, some five miles from 
Gel-li-va-re, and about 2,700 feet above the sea level 
From the summit is to be had a magnificent view of the 
"Midnight Sun" from about June 1 to July 15. The sky 
was cloudless and as clear and bright as crystal. The 
conditions for the grand sight in store for us were per- 
fect. After toiling upward for nearly two hours we reached 
the top of the hill and were rewarded with a view we 
shall never forget. "Midnight Sun" some one in poetical 
fancy has called it. But there can be no night where the 
sun shines. On the mountain top I sat down and wrote, 
and here are the thoughts and reflections that came to me 
in this presence chamber of the Almighty. 

There is around and about me the strange, subdued, 
solemn stillness which marks the midnight hour in those 
latitudes where darkness at this moment covers the earth 
as with a mantle. Not a sound is heard. The leafy song- 
sters are hushed and with folded wing sleep in the green 
foliage about the hilltop. From the valley at my feet 
comes no sound of life. 'Tis midnight hour, but vonder 



MIDNIGHT SUN. 6j 

shines the sun. I note that, as the hands of my watch 
indicate the hour of twelve, the sun is shining full in my 
face, exactly from the northern point of my compass. 
It is as if the great orb of day had suddenly appeared 
lighting up the world at its quiet, restful midnight hour. 
True, the light is somewhat subdued; the northern sky is 
painted in deep carmine tints, and the sun is bathed in a 
flood of crimson almost bloodred, but it shines and gives 
forth its light. 

Creeping, as it were, along the northern mountain 
barrier, just above the horizon, the sun moves on. It has 
touched its lowest northern point and rises higher and 
higher as it hastens eastward on its everlasting circuit of 
the heavens. The deep red of the sky makes a strikingly 
beautiful contrast with the clearly-defined blue and white 
of the mountains. Far up in the eastern heavens hangs 
the moon, paled to dimness by her midnight rival. She- 
is no longer mistress of the night. The stars which shine 
so brightly in " the infinite meadows of heaven " in our 
own homeland, here refuse to give their light; I look in 
vain for Orion, the Dipper, the Little Bear and the Polar 
Star. Moon and stars alike hold their light in abeyance, 
for soon the long, dreary winter night will come, and they 
shall shine forth with a brightness and a glory compen- 
satory for all their loss now. The sun rules now, and as 
I witness his power at this hour, I realize as I have never 
realized before, that the earth is, after all, only a small 
factor in the great solar system. 

Sitting thus on Mount Dundret, an astonished beholder 
of the wonders of God's works, I recall and repeat the 
words of Israel's sweet singer. From this time forth they 
will contain new beauty and meaning for me: 



68 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



" The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shew- 
eth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto 
night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where 
their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, 
and their words unto the end of the world. In them hath he set a 
tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming forth out of 
his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going 
forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it." 

Coming down from the mountain we reached our 
lodging place at 3 A. M., and retired to our beds to rest, 
but not to sleep. The sun shone brightly, lighting up our 
rooms, and the mind, pondering over what our eyes had 
seen, was too actively engaged for sleep. It came not to 
our eyes, neither did slumber visit our eyelids for some 
hours. 




MARKET PLACE, HALLE, 



CHAPTER III. 



Leaving the Northland — Through Germany- — A Beautiful J 'alley — 
Schwarzenau and the Eder — Persecuted Reformers — The Rhine 
— Mayence to Cologne — The City of Worms and Luther s Defik- 
mal — Lucerne — Climbing Rigi — William Tell — The Axen- 
strasse — The St. Gothard Railway — The Great Tunnel — L^om- 
bardy — Arrival at Milan. 

Regretfully we leave the Northland with its " mid- 
night sun," for country and people have been an inter- 
esting study. On our southern way we pass through Co- 
penhagen, where Christian IX., father of kings and queens, 
holds modest court and gives to the rulers of Europe an 
example of conjugal fidelity worthy of imitation. Thence 
we pass into Germany and spend a short time at our old 
German home, the university town of Halle. Here a fa- 
miliar sight greets our eyes as we leave the depot and walk 
up the street, — the market women with great baskets on 
their backs. The sight is common in many parts of north- 
ern Europe, for here women are the burden bearers. These 
seen on the streets of Halle to-day are on their way to 
the market, a place always interesting to visit. But we 
must not linger here. We visit our old Wit thin (land- 
lady) and receive a most hearty welcome supplemented 
by a pressing invitation to drink coffee with her, an act 
of hospitality never forgotten by the Germans when friends 
visit them. 

Continuing our journey we visit a place of special 
historic interest to our people. Again I find my notes 
helpful, for there I find written: We have found a secluded 
(69) 



70 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



little German village far away from the rush and bustle 
of the busy world of travel. It is one of those quaint, old- 
fashioned towns that are quite out of place in the present. 
It belongs to the past and has not yet awakened to the 
impulse of the age, which has taken hold of Germany. 
Its peace and quiet has never been disturbed by steam 




MARKET WOMEN. 



whistle or rumbling of trains of cars. For centuries it has 
rested in the beautiful valley through which, like a thread 
of silver in a ribbon of green, flows the historic river Eder. 
The village is built on both sides of the Eder and contains, 
as we were informed by one of the inhabitants, about 600 
souls. On the outer walls of one of the principal houses 



SCHWARZENAU. 



71 



hangs a square signboard, on the white surface of which 
is painted in large black letters the following official record 
of the place: D. Schwarzenan, Ami Arfeld, Kr. Wittgenstein, 
Rg. Bz. Arnsberg, Landwehr- Battalions, Bezirk Meschede. 







^9*~*mm' 



hmrumM 



••■:■. 



VILLAGE OF SCHWARZENAU. 



I write, seated on the approach to the footbridge used 
by the villagers to cross the Eder. On both sides of the 
river stand the quaint-looking old houses with high gables 
and steep roofs, covered with straw or red tile, which 
make up the ancient village of Schwarzenau. The village 
children, in peculiar dress, stand at respectful distance, 
watching, with open-eyed wonder, the strangers who have 
invaded their quiet little town. Even the elderly people 



n 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



stop and give us a look of surprised inquiry and collect 
in groups to discuss the strange sight of a drosky with 
travelers in their streets. As they pass by they greet us 
cordially with a " Guten Tag." Wife walks along the mean- 
dering stream, the water of which is as clear as crystal, 
and the gently-sloping banks are covered with grass to 




THE BRIDGE AT SCHWARZENAU. 



the very edge of the river. A well-kept lawn is not more 
evenly mowed than are the grassy slopes of the Eder 
It is a quiet October day, a day that recalls our own de- 
lightful Indian summer weather at home. The mountains 
that border both sides of the valley are covered with a 
thick growth of pine, birch, maple and beech. The touch 



THE RIVER EDER. 73 

of early autumn frost has tinged the foliage with a rich 
coloring of crimson, red and gold. Up the stream, a hun- 
dred yards away, is the old five-arched stone bridge built 
years and years ago; and beyond this a beautiful stretch 
of green meadow land. Sitting here on the old footbridge, 
with the valley a mile above and below Schwarzenau in 
full view, I have in mind no picture more beautiful than 
this. 

On the blue Juniata, as it cuts its way through the 
Alleghenies, there are some enchanted spots that I recall 
sitting here by the Eder, but the similarity is scarcely 
sufficient to base a comparison upon it. The Juniata has 
a grand, rugged, dashing beauty peculiar to itself; here 
the sharp curves, the rushing river, the rocky shores, 
and the steep mountains are replaced by a gently-flowing 
stream through a valley of green meadow land, formed 
by mountains of even slope and less than half the altitude 
of the Blue Ridge. Here is a quiet, enchanting beauty 
which exceeds anything I can now recall ever having seen, 
even in picturesque America. Perhaps the associations 
connected with the place have their influence upon our 
estimate of its surpassing beauty; but after making due 
allowance for all this, I am not willing to say less than has 
been said. 

And what are the associations connected with this 
quiet, old-fashioned German hamlet? Many of my read- 
ers know, and others will be interested in knowing, that 
here at Schwarzenau, nearly two hundred years ago, the 
dying embers of primitive Christianity were rekindled and 
the Brethren church was more fully organized. Here, on 
the banks of this beautiful stream, doubtless not far from 
where I write, the Brethren assembled in the year 1708, 
and, following the example of Christ, as one of our learned 



74 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

divines of America recently followed it in the river Jordan, 
went down into the water and were baptized " into the 
name of the Father, and into the name of the Son, and 
into the name of the Holy Ghost." And from here went 
forth that little band of persecuted believers, exiled from 
their "Vaierland" to find a home in the Quaker colony of 
Pennsylvania. 

Under the mild rule of the good Count Cassimir of 
Wittgenstein, who gave an asylum to the persecuted 
Pietists, the newly reorganized church flourished for a sea- 
son, and prosperous congregations were soon established at 
different places, especially at Marienborn and Berleburg. 
But they were not to live in peace. The reformers, who 
had been persecuted by Rome, now turned persecutors 
themselves and laid a heavy hand on the Brethren. Refus- 
ing to give up their faith in Apostolic Christianity, many of 
them were cast into prison and heavy fines were imposed 
upon all " of this way." Hochmann, a prominent minister, 
was cast into prison and beaten with many stripes. Alex- 
ander Mack, one of their most prominent ministers, had in- 
herited a considerable fortune. It was all used in paying 
fines for himself and his poor brethren. At length the per- 
secution became so grievous that a number of them left 
their homes to settle in the wilderness of the New World. 
Others fled to Switzerland, hoping to secure religious liber- 
ty in that republic, but a worse fate awaited them there. 
They were imprisoned, and some were put to death. By 
these rigorous measures the State Church succeeded in its 
purpose, and no vestige of the church of the Brethren, is to 
be found in those valleys to-day. 

We have been brought into close contact with the 
homes of our Brethren in Germany. We have seen where 
they lived and labored, and we are much impressed with 



PERSECUTED BRETHREN. 75 

the thought of the great sacrifice they made when they left 
these beautiful and fertile valleys for the wilds of the New 
World. We are made to admire, more and more, their 
courage and the spirit of self-sacrifice which led them to 
abandon home and the associations of a life-time for the 
sake of primitive Christianity. How they must have suf- 
fered and what hardships they must have endured, all for 
the sake of religious liberty! How often from their lonely 
homes on Indian Creek and the Wissahickon, at White 
Oak, at Ephrata, and at Germantown, surrounded by the 
Red Man of the forest, must they have looked back with 
longing, yearning hearts to this beautiful valley of the Eder, 
once their quiet, peaceful, happy home, from which they 
were exiled never to return again. 

How often must they have battled with the homesick 
feeling that will come to all who love home and leave it. 
How often they dreamed that their feet pressed again the 
grassy slopes of the Eder, that they drank again of its crys- 
tal water and breathed again the pure mountain air, and 
were happy again in their old homes, only to awake and 
find it all a dream. We have thought more of all this per- 
haps because we are far away from home and friends and 
know something of the desire to return again. These brave 
men and women endured much so that they might serve the 
Lord in his own appointed way. Long ago they were 
gathered to that home where the weary are at rest and 
from which they will never be exiled. The cause they 
loved so well, and for which they sacrificed so much, still 
lives. And shall it not continue to live? Shall not we, who 
to-day stand in the places of those who have gone before, 
hold up the cause of Apostolic Christianity? Shall we not 
be true to the cause we have espoused and for which our 
fathers suffered so much, yea, for which Christ died? 



?6 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

The people of the village are engaged in farming and 
appear to be well-to-do and happy. Their piety asserts 
itself in the custom of engraving passages of Scripture on 
the oak sills and panels in the sides and gables of their 
houses. Not only at Schwarzenau, but at other villages in 
the valley of the Eder, we noticed passages of Scripture, 
short poems, and pious mottoes graven deeply in the sills, 
beams, and gables of the houses. 

" Gott segue dieses Hans 
Und eitien jeden Stand, 
Den Burger in der Stadt, 
Den Bauer auf dem Land, 
Gib Segen u?id Gedeihen 
A uch fur ein jedes Wesen , 
Besonders nock fur den 
Der diesen Spruch thut lesen." 

Translated this reads: 

"God bless this house, 
And each and every occupation, 
The citizen of the town, 
The farmer on the field, 
Give blessings and prosperity 
Also to each being, 
Especially to him 
Who may read this inscription." 

As I stood copying these lines the owner of the 
house came out and informed me that he had placed them 
there with his own hand. He read them over several times 
and seemed to be much pleased that his work was thus no- 
ticed. At another place I read, " Dieses Hans geh'drt Gott 
und miry Here the owner takes the Lord into partnership 
with him. A lesson may be learned from this simple vil- 
lager. We have two much of the " / own this property" 
and not enough of the " It belongs to the Lord " in our way 
of looking- at that over which God has made us stewards. 



CHRISTOPHER SAUR. JJ 

One more example will suffice: " Ich gctrau Gott in alley 
Not/i." Much of the carving is very skillfully done, the old 
German letters being used and the capitals finely decorated. 

Not far from Schwarzenau is the town of Berleburg. 
This was a noted center for our Brethren and other so- 
called Pietists. They came here from many parts of Ger- 
many. Among others who came was a printer from Strass- 
burg named John Jacob Hang. He had been awakened, 
and came to Berleburg to enjoy the society of kindred 
spirits. A printing press was set up— for these early Breth- 
ren believed in the use of printer's ink — and Hang took 
charge of the office. Here in 1726 the celebrated Berle- 
burg Bible/ with notes, was published in three volumes. A 
copy of this Bible may be seen in the Cassel Library at Mt. 
Morris, 111. The printing press was afterwards sent to 
America where, in 1736, it came into the possession of Eld. 
Christopher Saur, and he used it to print the first religious 
paper and the first Bible (1743) that was printed in 
America. 

Christopher Saur, Sen., the printer, was a man of more 
than ordinary ability. He received a liberal education at 
the University of Marburg, Germany. He united with the 
Brethren and used his ability and education to further the 
cause of Christ. lie had energy and business push. He 
gave the German colonists their first almanac and their first 
religious paper, and then, owing to the fact that Bibles 
were very scarce in the new colony, he determined to give 
to his countrymen the Scriptures in their own tongue. He 
began the work under great difficulties. A friend in Frank- 
fort, Germany, sent him a part of the type. A few pages 
were set up and printed, and then the type distributed to be 
set up again. At last, in 1743, he sent out the first edition 
of the first Bible ever published in a European language in 



78 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



America. The credit of this important work thus belongs 
to the band of exiled Brethren. The book, a large quarto, 
was bound in boards and leather, and of such excellent 
workmanship was the binding that many well-preserved 
copies are yet to be found. The demand for the Bible 
made it necessary to issue two more editions, one in 1763 




HOTEL AT SCHWARZENAU. 

and the last in 1776. The author is the fortunate possessor 
of a copy of each of the three editions of this now rare and 
valuable book. The volumes are in a good state of preser- 
vation, showing the excellent character of the work done by 
the honest bookbinder more than a century ago. 

A short stay at Schwarzenau's only hotel, the " Roesner 
House," and we drive down the valley of the Eder over a 



COUNTRY PEOPLE. 



79 



well-kept macadamized road. What fine roads are to be 
found in Germany! In this respect Europe is far ahead of 
our own country. There are no fences by the wayside, and 
the grass is kept mowed down to the edge of the road. 
Fruit trees — pear, cherry, apple and plum — are planted by 
the roadside. The pears were ripe, and for five cents we 




THE ROAD TO SCIIWARZENAU. 



purchased a small measure and regaled ourselves on the 
luscious fruit. We meet the country people, in quaint and 
curious costume, returning from the market. In the fields 
women are at work mowing grass and digging potatoes. 
They must work hard and keep at it constantly. Now we 
cross a range of hills and enter the valley of the Eder, and 
as the evening shades come down we drive into the univer- 



8o 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



sity city of Marburg. The drive of twenty miles was de- 
lightfully pleasant and most enjoyable. 

From Marburg to Germany's most famous river is but a 
few hours by rail. The beauties of the Rhine have been 
extolled in song and story for centuries, and yet the sub- 
ject has not been exhausted. From Mayence to Cologne 



- 








OLD CASTLES OX THE RHINE. 

and return took two days of our time. The distance trav- 
eled in making the round trip is only two hundred and fifty 
miles; but there is crowded into this short limit more beau- 
tiful scenery, historic associations, weird stories and won- 
derful legends than is crowded into a similar distance on 
any other river in the world. The 'legends of the Rhine fill 
a volume in themselves, and here is to be found the plot 



CASTLES ON THE RHINE. 8l 

and groundwork of many a modern novel and love story. 
Every hill and mountain and valley has legends of brave 
knight, of fair lady, of doughty deeds of arms, of faithless 
lover and womanly devotion of the ages of chivalry. In- 
termingled with these are the older stories of heathen times, 
when dragon, gnome, water nymph, and fairy, as the peo- 
ple believed, frequented all the shores of the Rhine. There 
is not a ruined castle wall or dilapidated tower between 
Mayence and Cologne, — and there are scores of them, — that 
does not have its historical association and its equally 
interesting and often beautiful legend. 

But in all Rhineland there is no place of more historic 
interest than the quaint old city of Worms. It was here, 
in April, 1 521, that the Imperial Diet, or council, was held, 
at which Luther defended his doctrines before the Emperor 
Charles V. and an august assembly of the notable church- 
men and rulers of Europe, closing with these memorable 
words: " Hicr stcJic icJi; icJi kan/i nicht anders. Gott helfe 
mir. Amen." " Here I stand, I cannot act otherwise, God 
help me! Amen." These bold words, uttered before the 
highest council in all Europe, sounded the death knell of 
papal rule in Germany and stood out in the great struggle 
for religious freedom as words of hope and courage. Two 
places in this old Rhine city no traveler will pass by with- 
out a visit. One is the Luther Denkmal (monument) and 
the other the beautiful modern residence of Heyl, the 
wealthy manufacturer of Worms, which stands on the site 
of the Bishofshof or episcopal palace where the Diet of 
Worms was held. The palace was destroyed by the French 
in 1689. The site, as before intimated, is now occupied by a 
fine private residence. The pious owner has these words 
placed prominently on the outer wall: 



82 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



"Dieses Hans unci Vaterland 
Nimm, Gott, in dein getreue Hand. 

The Luther monument was erected in i85S at a cost of 
nearly a hundred thousand dollars, and it is said to be one 
of the finest of the kind in Europe. It has been said that 
it is worth a trip across the Atlantic to see this memorial of 




LUTHER MONUMENT. 



the great reformer. It is composed of a massive platform 
forty-eight feet square and nine and a half feet high. In 
the center is a large bronze pedestal, surrounded by sev- 
en smaller ones; on the central pedestal stands Luther's 
statue in bronze, eleven feet in height. In his left hand he 
holds the Bible, with his right hand resting upon it. His 
face is turned upward and the features show deep faith and 







'■ • j j»*i ; - i :•» ja g'-gsfe&r'- 



LUTHER MONUMENT. 85 

trust. On the smaller pedestals are statues of those " bold 
spirits " who before or along with him had fought the last 
struggle for the freedom of the reformation. Here are Peter 
Waldrus the Frenchman, John Wickliffe the Englishman, 
John Huss the Bohemian, Savonarola the Italian and Phil- 
ipp Melanchthon the German. These strong words of the 
reformer compose one of the most striking of the many in- 
scriptions found here: 

"Das Evangelium, zvelches der Herr den Aposteln in den Mund 
gelegt hat ist sein Schiuert, damit schldgt er in die Welt ah mit Blitz 
und Donncr." 

" The Gospel, which the Lord hath put into the mouths of the apos- 
tles, is his sword; with it he strikes the world as with lightning and 
thunder." 

Switzerland, the Republic of Europe, the land of the 
free, the home of Tell and his brave compatriots! How my 
heart burned within me when, in my schoolboy days nearly 
fifty years ago, I read over and over again the story of the 
brave, heroic, successful struggle of these hardy mountain- 
eers to throw off the yoke of their tyrant masters! And 
now, under God's providence, we are permitted to visit the 
oldest republic in the world. Worms and its Denkmal, the 
Rhine and its beautiful scenery are lost as in a dream in the 
presence of the awful grandeur of the Alps, with their ever- 
lasting mantles of ice and snow. 

In the beautiful city of Lucerne, nestling at the feet of 
Pilatus and Rigi, we found a pleasant little hotel with the 
modest name of " Des Alpes," and here for a season we 
make our home. Here one meets people from all parts of 
the civilized world, attracted by the grand scenery and the 
romantic Vierwaldstatter See, as Lake Lucerne is called. 
It is said to be one of the most famous and popular summer 
resorts in all Europe, and the crowds of tourists " on pleas- 



86 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

ure bent " attest the truthfulness of the statement. In the 
quiet bosom of the valley, surrounded by Alpine mountains 
whose crags and peaks are mirrored in its placid waters, 
lies the beautiful lake, bounded by the four Swiss cantons, 
or states, of Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Lucerne. It is 
unsurpassed, not only in Switzerland, but in all Europe, in 
the grandeur and magnificence of its scenery. The lake 
seen from the top of Mount Rigi presents to view the 
shape of a cross; the bay of Lucerne forming the head, the 
bays of Kiissnacht and Alpnacht the arms, and those of 
Buochs and Uri the foot. At the north end of the lake the 
river Reuss, with its clear emerald-green waters, issues from 
the lake with the swiftness of a torrent. Lucerne is built 
on both sides of the river, which is crossed by five bridges. 
Both lake and river abound in fine fish, and those who find 
pleasure in taking the finny tribe with hook and line may 
here indulge to their heart's content. The walks and drive- 
ways along the quay and the banks of the river a,re densely 
shaded and delightfully pleasant in midsummer. 

Our little party determined to try mountain climbing, 
and the ascent of Mount Rigi, it was thought, would satisfy 
our ambition in this direction; and it did. The regulation 
Alpenstocks — heavy sticks some six feet in length, armed 
at one end with an iron spike — were secured and an early 
start was made for the mountain top. In the cool of the 
morning the gentle mountain slopes were easy enough, but 
when the ascent became steeper and the sun shone down 
with midsummer heat we were compelled to seek shaded 
resting places many times before the coveted summit was 
reached. But at last, when the grand, rugged beauty of the 
Alpine scenery burst into full view, from the mountain top, 
every one felt amply repaid for the fatigue incident to the 
upward climbing of nearly six thousand feet above sea 



tell's monument. 



89 



level. Owing to the isolation of the mountain the view 
from Rigi sweeps over three hundred miles in extent, and 




TELL'S MONUMENT. 



is by far the grandest in Switzerland. The descent was 
made in the evening time, and it was much easier than the 



Q0 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

climbing, and yet the strain on the muscles was much more 
trying than in going up. For several days after the climb 
to the top of Rigi I sat in my room in the hotel nursing 
tired and painful muscles, and making resolutions to give 
up Alpine mountain climbing. 

A boatride from Lucerne to Fluelen and return is one 
of the most pleasant and at the same time interesting ex- 
cursions on the lake. Fluelen is at one end of the "See" 
and Lucerne at the other. The distance between the two 
points is twenty-three miles, and the greatest width of the 
lake is two and a half miles. During the summer season 
steamboats ply regularly between Lucerne and Fluelen, 
stopping at intermediate points. Two places of special his- 
toric interest on the tour of the lake always attract the at- 
tention of the traveler. The one is the spot where, with an 
arrow, William Tell, by order of Gessler, shot an apple from 
the head of his son, and the other where he shot and killed 
the tyrant. The first is at Fluelen. The day before our 
arrival a fine monument had been unveiled to commemorate 
Tell's wonderful feat of archery. A bronze figure of the 
patriot, with his left hand resting on his boy's head at his 
side and his right hand holding his trusty crossbow on his 
shoulder, stands on a granite base bearing this inscription: 

Erzahleil wird man. 
Von dem Schiitzen Tell, 
So lang die Berge, 
Stchn ai/f ihrem Grunde, 

1307 

Wilhehn Tell, 

1895. 

The spot where Gessler fell pierced by Tell's unerring 
arrow is marked by a beautiful chapel, the outer foundation 
of which is built in the water of the lake. It is a spot of 
wondrous beauty. The steep mountain side is covered 



TELL S CHAPEL. 



93 



with a dense shrubbery. In the distance the snow-covered 
Alps are to be seen. Beyond the chapel among the rocks, 
almost hidden by the green foliage, is pointed out the place 
where Tell stood, and from which sped the fatal arrow that 
freed his native land from the oppressor. Some writers 
there are who would deprive the world of the story of Tell, 
but I prefer to accept it as it has been immortalized by the 
pen of Schiller How with bated breath, and anxious heart 
for the fate of the hero, I first read the story in my school- 
boy days nearly half a century ago. And now it is doubly 
interesting to recall it all here, amid the mountains and on 
this beautiful lake where the thrilling' events occurred. 



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TELLS CHAPEL. 



Returning from Fliielen in the afternoon we walked as 
far as Tell's Chapel, where the steamer stopped to take up 
passengers for Lucerne. The distance is two and a half 
miles and it is a very interesting walk. The road, called 



Q4 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

the Axenstrasse, is among the wonders of Switzerland, 
and is remarkable for the boldness of its construction,. being 
to a great extent hewn in the rock. It skirts the lake, and 
after leaving the water level at Fliielen ascends rapidly, af- 
fording from the mountain side a beautiful view of the lake 
and the Swiss villages that cluster on its borders. At a 
point still higher the road passes through a tunnel cut in the 




THE AXENSTRASSE, SWITZERLAND. 



curiously contorted limestone strata. Portions of the outer 
rim of the rock have been cut away, forming window-like 
openings through which the light is admitted. Through 
these rocky windows fine views are to be had of the blue 
lake three hundred and sixty feet below. A short time 
after passing through the tunnel we reach Tellsplatte, 
from which a most charming view is had of lake and 
mountains. Here we leave the Axenstrasse and descend 
the mountain side to the little chapel marking the spot 



SWISS VILLAGE. 95 

where Tell sprang from Gessler's boat. Then the shrill 
whistle of our steamer sounded out, echoing and re-echoing 
among the hills and mountains, as we hastened to the land- 
ing. The delightful evening ride was much enjoyed, and we 
reached Lucerne well pleased with our day's sight-seeing. 

My notebook says we left Lucerne Sept. 7, for Milan, 
Italy, via the St. Gothard railway, which, with its great 
tunnel nine and a quarter miles in length, piercing the 
snowy Alpine range of mountains, is one of the engineering 
marvels of the nineteenth century. The road is one hun- 
dred and six miles in length and passes through no less 
than fifty-six tunnels, aggregating twenty-five miles in 
length. The St. Gothard tunnel is, as has been stated, nine 
and a quarter miles long, twenty-eight feet wide and 
twenty-one feet high. It is laid with a double railway track 
and is arched with masonry throughout. 

The scenery between Lucerne and Goeschen, the en- 
trance to the tunnel, is grand beyond description. The 
railway passes through no less than seven loop tunnels, and 
in winding back and forth up the mountain side we pass 
and repass the same villages. One of our party called at- 
tention to the similarity of the churches in Switzerland, 
when, as a matter of fact, he had seen the same building 
three times. Nestled in the valleys are many small Swiss 
villages built at the base of great cliffs. After seeing these 
villages one does not wonder that, when the great ava- 
lanches of snow sweep down the mountain side, death and 
destruction come to the Swiss homes in these valleys. 

We enter the great tunnel at the north end, and twenty 
minutes later emerge into the blinding sunlight at Ariola. 
A wonderful change has taken place. We are still in 
Switzerland, it is true, but instead of the German Schweiz 
we are among the Italians. The beautiful Swiss cottage has 



9 6 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



given way to Italian architecture. The faces and costumes 
of the people are changed. The fair skin of the north has 
given way to the darker complexion and lustrous eyes so 
common in Italy The language has undergone a complete 
change. The " Wirthschaft" the German hotel, is here 
named on the signs " Trattoria." The railway station, a 





A SWISS VILLAGE. 



" Bahnhof" at the other end of the tunnel, is traru/^rmed 
into a " Staziohe" at this. The German merchant \. N o 
places on his sign " Handlung " is imitated by the Italian, 
but he uses the word " Negozio." The hillsides are now 
covered with vines and the chestnut trees, literally burdened 
with ripening nuts, are as plentiful as in our own Alleghe- 
nies and Blue Ridge mountains. 



ARIOLA TO LAKE COMO. 97 

The ride from Ariola to lake Como is no less interest- 
ing than that from Lucerne to Goeschen. " There are some 
more loop tunnels, and wonderful bridges, and a bewilder- 
ing succession of wild bits of scenery, with feathery, snow- 
white cascades leaping from the summit of lofty cliffs, or 
bursting forth from some cranny in their sides, and falling 
hundreds of feet through the air; brawling glacial torrents, 
hurrying down over beds of boulders, eager to reach the 
distant sea; eyries where apparently inaccessible chalets 
are perched; fantastic rocks, seamed and split by long for- 
gotten convulsions of nature; endless battlements, and 
walls, ' rock ribbed and ancient as the sun '; and darting 
through, over beyond them all, now disappearing into a tun- 
nel, now leaping a chasm, now skirting the edge of a preci- 
pice, the glistening steel tracks of the St. Gothard railway, 
which has conquered this wilderness, and transformed its 
fastnesses into a pleasure ground for man." So writes the 
poet. But the railway has not only opened a pleasure 
ground for man, but a roadway as well for the commerce of 
all nations. The wondrous skill of the engineers who con- 
structed this road is only equaled, but not surpassed, by 
the skill of our own engineers in crossing the Rockies and 
building railways in the almost inaccessible canyons of the 
backbone of the continent. 

Descending still farther on the southern side of the 
mountains, the valley broadens, the rock-ribbed walls of the 
Alps are left far behind, and we roll out upon the rich Lom- 
bardian plain. The vine and the mulberry tree flourish, and 
here and there are small fields of Indian corn, reminding 
one very forcibly of home. At eight o'clock in the evening 
our train enters the electric lighted stazioue at Milan, and 
our Alpine journey is ended. 



CHAPTER IV. 



The Cathedral at Mi/an — Leonardo da Vinci — The Last Supper — 
Rome — Kissing the Foot of St. Peter — Pompeii — New Discoveries 
— An Ancient House — Corinth — Diogenes the Cynic — Paul the 
Apostle to the Gentiles — A thefts — The Acropolis — The Market 
Place — Mars' LLill — Sunset on the Acropolis — Costumes of the 
Athenians — A Greek Soldier — -Maid of Athens — A Peculiar 
Custom. 

The Milanese regard their beautiful cathedral as the 
eighth wonder of the world, and never tire of sounding its 
praises. Having seen most of the noted cathedrals in Eu- 
rope, I am ready to admit that the interior is exceeded in 
magnificence only by St. Peter's in Rome, and that the ex- 
terior surpasses all others. The immense structure covers 
an area of fourteen thousand square yards, and it is esti- 
mated that it will hold thirteen thousand people. The 
floor is laid in fine marble mosaic work of different colors 
and presents a beautiful appearance. The stained glass 
windows are said to be the largest in the world. The ex- 
terior is a magnificent display of the richest architecture. 
The roof is of marble and is surmounted by ninety-eight 
turrets. More than two thousand marble statues adorn the 
outside of the building. The main tower is three hundred 
and sixty feet high; on it stands a marble statue of the Vir- 
gin Mary. Each of the turrets also bears a statue. The ef- 
fect of the exterior is beautiful and striking. There is such 
a bewildering profusion of ornamentation on the exterior 
that it would require a volume to describe it all. The forest 
of spires, slender and graceful in shape, the immense num- 



MILAN CATHEDRAL. 



99 



bcr of marble statues, each in itself a fine work of art, and 
the great size of the structure, make it one of the most 
noted buildings in the world. 





11 



~-l 



i . ; .J.ii. II t^^Jl -| -I I 1 



Basil: Wtf#II^fip 



m fr^i^'Sk' 




MILAN CATHEDRAL. 



On the Lord's Day morning we attended services in the 
cathedral, which is Roman Catholic of course. There were 
thousands of people present attending mass. The music 
was deeply impressive. The great organ pealed forth its 
deep notes, and hundreds of trained voices joined in the 
song of praise; it swelled forth filling the great building 
with joyous harmony. What wonderful singers these Ital- 
ians are! 

Here we witnessed the ceremony of the baptism or 



100 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

sprinkling of an infant by a priest and his two assistants. 
There was much reading and bowing and making of long 
prayers. The infant was laid on a richly embroidered pil- 
low held on the arms of the mother. The priest now read 
a special service, and at the proper time dipped his hand in- 
to a silver vessel filled with water and applied it to the 
head of the little one. This he did three times in succes- 
sion, and the ceremony ended. Formerly the rite was per- 
formed by dipping the candidate three times into the water, 
but about the thirteenth century this was changed by the 
authority of the pope and of the church, and sprinkling is 
now the almost universal custom among Roman Catholics. 

No one thinks of leaving Milan without seeing the 
celebrated painting, " The Last Supper," by Leonardo da 
Vinci. Indeed many make the journey to Milan solely for 
the purpose of viewing this master work of art. Unfortu- 
nately the picture is in a bad state of preservation, owing to 
the fact that it was painted in oil on the wall of the chapel. 
The painter sought to give a picture of the last supper of 
Christ with the twelve at the moment when the Lord an- 
nounced the startling fact that one of them should betray 
him. Of the painting Goethe says: "The painter has de- 
parted from precedent in grouping the company of disci- 
ples, with their Master in the midst, along the far side and 
two ends of a long, narrow table, and in leaving the near or 
service side of the table towards the spectator free. The 
chamber is seen in a perfectly symmetrical perspective, its 
rear wall is pierced by three plain openings which admit 
the sense of quiet distance and mystery from the open 
landscape beyond; by the central of these openings, which 
is in the midst of the three, the head and shoulders of the 
Savior are framed in. On his right and left are ranged the 
disciples in equal numbers. The serenity of the holy com- 




Leonardo da Vinci. 



THE CELEBRATED PAINTING. 103 

pany has within the moment been broken by the words of 
their Master, ' One of you shall betray me.' In the agita- 
tion of their consciences and affections, the disciples have 
started into groups or clusters along the table, some stand- 
ing, some still remaining seated. There are four of these 
groups, of three disciples each, and each group is har- 
moniously interlinked by some natural connecting action 
with the next. The relations of the groups to one another, 
and of each figure within the several groups to its neighbor 
and to the central figure of Christ, are not only triumphs of 
technical design, they are evidences of a complete science' 
of human character, emotion, and physiognomy held at the 
service of a nobly inspired and nobly directed art. The 
furniture and accessories of the chamber, very simply con- 
ceived, have been rendered with scrupulous exactness and 
distinctness; yet they leave to the human and dramatic ele- 
ments the absolute mastery of the scene. Neither do the 
academical draperies of the personages impair the sense of 
imaginative truth with which the representation impresses 
us. Our first glance at the ruins of the famous picture 
makes us feel, and study does but strengthen the convic- 
tion, that the painter rose to the height of his argument, 
and realized worthily and for good this momentous scene in 
the spiritual history of mankind." 

From Milan our course lay southward through Italy, 
by way of Genoa, Rome, and Naples, to Brindisi, where we 
took ship for Patras, and journeyed thence overland by way 
of Corinth to Athens. This part of our journey has been 
fully described in a preceding volume,* and but brief refer- 
ence is here made to the cities named. 

A week at Rome was none too long, although it was 
my third visit to the City of the Caesars. St. Peter's, the 

*" Wanderings in Bible Lands." 



104 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

Coliseum, the Forum, the Catacombs and other points of 
absorbing interest came in for their share of time. The 
Trappist monk who served as our guide through the cata- 
combs was exceedingly talkative. He seemed to be deter- 
mined to make up for lost time. The Trappists, fearing 
they may not be able to bridle their tongues, take the vow 
of continual silence, and they are supposed to go through 
the world without speaking a word. The pope has ab- 
solved a dozen of the monks from their vows of everlasting 
silence and placed them in charge of the catacombs, where 
they act as guides and sell relics to visitors. I asked my 
guide why he did not keep his vow and remain silent. His 
reply was, " Et is neccessra for me speaka, so I guida you 
in catacomba." He pointed out many things of interest in 
the sleeping places of the dead. The particularity of de- 
tail entered into by the ancients is shown in one of the in- 
scriptions on the tomb of a child. The name and date of 
death are given, and then the age, one year, three months, 
twenty-three days and six and a half hours. 

My diary says: Sunday, Sept. 15, I stand beneath the 
lofty dome of St. Peter's in the city of Rome. Near by is 
the bronze statue of the apostle for whom the church was 
named. In less than twenty minutes I see more than a 
hundred people kiss the foot of the image. Old and young, 
rich and poor, learned and unlearned, soldier and civilian, 
decrepit, tottering age and children in their mothers' arms 
reverently bow the head, and kiss the bronze foot. An old 
woman, short in statue, perhaps eighty years old, unable 
to raise herself to the foot, which is five feet from the floor, 
is lifted up by her companions that she ma) r press her 
lips against the cold metal. Half grown boys and girls, 
taking hold of the extended foot and then placing their 
feet on an offset in the pedestal, are thus enabled to reach 



ST. PETERS STATUE. 107 

the coveted kissing place. An old man with an intelligent 
and kindly face, a priest, bows his head kissing the foot and 
then placing his forehead where he has pressed his lips, 
stands a few moments in silent prayer. A group of nuns, 
waiting until the priest concludes his devotions, press their 
lips to each of the toes, offer a prayer and pass on. A 
richly dressed lady, with diamonds flashing on her neck and 
fingers, approaches and, taking a fine cambric kerchief, 
wipes the foot carefully and then kisses it lightly. And so 
the devotees come and go, as I meditate upon this phase of 
worship and study the faces as they go by. Some are jest- 
ing and laughing, and it is evident that to them the cere- 
mony is a mere matter of form. Then there are those 
whose faces are blank, no sign of feeling or emotion is man- 
ifest; and these form the larger number of the devotees. 
Others still pass by and press their lips to the foot and 
bow the head a moment in silent prayer, and their faces are 
so full of earnest devotion that one is forced to the conclu- 
sion that they believe that there is merit in this act of 
image worship and that it meets the approval of God. 

It is a peculiar phase of human nature, or rather of the 
religious side of man. The mind clings to the seen and the 
material, and the Roman Catholic church, recognizing this 
tendency, accommodates it by introducing image worship. 
The toes of the bronze image, as may be seen in the accom- 
panying photogravure, have been almost wiped and kissed 
away by the worshipers. 

Sept. 19: To-day I revisit the excavated city of Pompeii, 
and find a second visit to the ruins as full of interest as the 
first. The excavations are being pushed forward with much 
energy, and more than two-thirds of the old city is now 
cleared of the ashes of Vesuvius. Before many years the 
work of excavating will be completed and the entire city be 



io8 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



open to visitors. It is now the plan of those having charge 
of the work of excavating to restore the ruins, as far as pos- 
sible, to their original condition. Heretofore when statuary 
and other objects of interest were found they were at once 
removed to the museum in Naples. In some instances 
mural paintings were taken from the walls and placed in the 






IN THE RUINS OF PGMPEII. 



museum. Now when a house is uncovered everything that 
is found about it is placed as nearly as possible in the place 
it occupied when the city was covered up. The houses are 
rcofed and such portions of the walls as were broken are 
rebuilt in exact imitation of the original, so that one may 
now see just how the Romans lived in the middle of the 
first century. 



HOUSE OF THE VERT1I. Ill 

The house of the Vertii recently excavated and restored 
is now open to visitors. The courtyard of the house is 
laid out as a flower garden, in which bloom all the year the 
most beautiful flowers. Round about are columns of mar- 
ble, with statues of bronze and marble occupying the places 
where they were found. At both ends of the court arc 
fountains with artistic basins to catch the flowing water, in 
place as they were on that fateful day when the eruption 
took place. The rooms are decorated with frescoes, and 
those which are preserved are remarkable for their beauty 
and freshness of color. The floors are of marble. In one of 
the rooms were found two treasure chests in which the own- 
er of the 'house kept his valuables. These were empty 
when found, the treasures having been removed, doubtless 
immediately after the first eruption, either by the owner or 
by thieves. Then there are bathrooms, bedrooms, living 
rooms and a diningroom, and a kitchen with a pantry con- 
taining a sleeping place for the slave. In the kitchen were 
found cooking utensils; on the hearth were iron tripods 
for holding pots, and the bronze pots were near at hand. 
Everything is in the position it was left when the owners 
fl^d. The Vertii were doubtless a very wealthy family, for 
only great wealth could provide and keep up the expenses 
of such a house. Here we have a house restored in all 
its original beauty, and are able to see into the home life of 
the Romans in the days of Paul. Other houses are being 
excavated and restored, giving much additional interest to 
a visit to the ancient city of Pompeii. 

An all-day ride over a rough, dusty railway, in dirty 
Italian cars, — these people have not yet learned that clean- 
liness is akin to godliness, —brought us to the ancient sea- 
port town of Brundusium. It was a national holiday in 
Italy, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the entry of Victor Em- 



112 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

manuel into the city of Rome. Flags were flying, bands of 
music playing, fireworks being displayed, and all the coun- 
try was aglow with enthusiasm and patriotism. 

It was in the night when we reached Brindisi, tired, dus- 
ty and travel stained. The Austrian Lloyd's steamer "Me- 
dia" came into port soon after our arrival. At midnight we 
went aboard, sailing the same hour for Greece. The sea was 
calm and the weather pleasant, and we enjoyed the change 
from the dusty cars to a clean, cool steamer. After a very 
enjoyable voyage we cast anchor at noon the next day in 
the beautiful harbor of Corfu. In a very few minutes our 
ship was crowded with venders of fruit. It was the time of 
grapes, figs and pomegranates. We purchased, for a few 
pennies, great bunches of large white grapes, sweet, and of 
good flavor; but the best of them are not equal to our table 
grapes at home. The sweetness palls on the taste, and one 
soon tires of them. Ripe figs, fresh from the trees, are rel- 
ished by those who have acquired a taste for them, but it 
takes time and perseverance to cultivate the taste. 

The evening shades were approaching when the anchor 
was weighed and we steamed out over the blue waters of 
the beautiful bay of Corfu. Landing the next morning 
at Patras, we continued our journey to Athens by rail, 
passing Corinth on the way. The modern City of New 
Corinth, Nea KorintJuts, contains a population of eight 
thousand souls, and is neatly and regularly laid out. It 
was founded forty years ago when the town on the site 
of ancient Corinth, three and a half miles away, was com- 
pletely destroyed by an earthquake. A carriage road has 
been constructed to the ruins of the ancient city, and many 
travelers visit the place. Corinth, in ancient times, was a 
city of great importance and power, and was noted for 
its great wealth and the sensuality and wickedness of its 





im 



ANCIENT CORINTH. 1 1 5 

people. Here lived the cynical philosopher Diogenes, 
whose dwelling was a tub. He it was who failed to find an 
honest man in Corinth, although he searched diligently day 
and night with a lighted lantern. During the search a 
friend met him in broad daylight with his lighted lantern 
and said, "What are you looking for, Diogenes?" "An 
honest man," was the curt reply of the cynic, as he con- 
tinued his fruitless search. Rollin tells of a visit of Alex- 
ander the Great to Diogenes. The philosopher was at the 
time lying down in the sun. When the conqueror ap- 
proached he sat up and eyed the great warrior intently. 
Alexander, seeing the poverty of the man, was moved to 
pity, saluted him kindly and inquired whether he could do 
anything for him. At the time the king's shadow fell upon 
the philosopher, and he replied, " Yes! stand out of my 
sunlight."* 

But ancient Corinth is more especially interesting to us 
because there came to this important city of Greece a 
greater conqueror than Alexander, — the apostle to the gen- 
tiles, Paul of Tarsus. Here he preached the Gospel and 
organized a church out of the most unpromising material. 
He tells us that among its members were former outcasts, 
adulterers, fornicators, sodomites, idolaters, thieves, drunk- 
ards, extortioners, revilers, and slanderers. f The darkened 
characters he declared were washed, were sanctified, were 
justified; " in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit 
of our God." At Corinth the apostle spent many months 
preaching in the synagogues and holding converse with 
Aquila and Priscilla. From Corinth he wrote the two 
epistles to the Thessalonians, and the church at this place 
had his deepest anxiety and thoughtful care. The tempta- 



*Rollin's " Ancient History," Vol. II, p. 7. 
fi Cor. 6:9-11. 



Il6 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

tions to sensual indulgence and to departures from the truth 
were stronger here than in most Greek cities. His epistles 
to the Corinthians are full of warnings to the church. After 
the death of Paul, Clement was made bishop of the church. 

Our stay .of three days in Athens was none the less in- 
teresting because of former visits. One never sees all nor 
learns all about these old cities on a first or second visit. 
There is a strange fascination about these ancient Bible 
cities that draws one toward them. One never tires of trac- 
ing the associations in touch with the Bible, visiting the 
places recorded in the Book and reading the incidents con- 
nected with them. Those interested in the study of God's 
Book might visit Athens a dozen times and always be inter- 
ested in going to the market place where Paul disputed 
with the Jews, and to Mars' Hill, where he preached to the 
court of the Areopagites. To stand where Paul stood, in 
market place or on hilltop, and read his words where 
they were spoken, is a privilege which once enjoyed is never 
to be forgotten. It gives a wonderful reality to the Bible to 
read it under such circumstances; especially when there are 
about you so many evidences of the truth of the Book. 

The old market place, with the four slender Doric 
columns bearing the heavy architecture of the gateway 
through which Paul must have passed, remains unchanged. 
The columns form three entrances. The center passages 
used for carriages is eleven and a quarter feet wide; those 
for foot passengers at the sides are only four and three- 
fourths feet wide. Inside of the gate stands a long tablet 
with an inscription in Greek relating to the price of com- 
modities offered for sale in the market place. 

Mars' Hill and the Acropolis are close together, and 
both are places of absorbing interest. When Paul stood on 
the hilltop and spoke to the Areopagites the Acropolis was 




Gateway to Market Place. 



MARS HILL. 



119 



crowned with many magnificent temples, culminating in 
the Parthenon, the most perfect monument of Grecian art, 




MARKET PLACE, ATHENS. 



and the glory not only of Athens but of the Eastern world. 
South of Mars' Hill the Apostle had a view of the temple 



120 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

of Theseus, which stands to-day the best preserved of all 
the old temples, not only of Athens but of the whole of 
ancient Greece. Not far away was the market place with 
its temples and altars erected for the worship of the false 
gods of the Greeks. Then there was the altar bearing the 
inscription " To the Unknown God," which Paul used so 
vigorously on that memorable day, and w 7 ith such telling 
effect that at least one member of the court — Dionysius — 
was converted to Christianity. Our photogravure gives a 
view from a point north of and above Mars' Hill. The ar- 
tist stood on the rising ground of the Acropolis. In the 
distance " Moreas' Hills " bound the view. To the right is 
the temple of Theseus with houses suburban to Athens, 
while Mars' Hill occupies the center of the foreground. A 
close study of the picture will reveal the steep cut in the 
rock by which the ascent to the top of the rocky bluff was 
and is still made. A heavy growth of aloes fringing the 
base of the Acropolis is shown in the picture. It is one of 
the most interesting views in Athens. 

We spent an evening on Mars' Hill, and enjoyed one of 
those marvelous sunsets so graphically described by Byron. 
As the sun neared the horizon I left my companions and 
climbed to the top of the Acropolis and stood on the plat- 
form of the Parthenon. The sky was marvelously clear, 
and as the sun sank behind the Delphian cliff I recallec 
these lines of the author of Childe Harold: 

Slow sinks, more lovely ere his race be run, 

Along Moreas' Hills the setting sun; 

Not, as in northern climes, obscurely bright, 

But one unclouded blaze of living light! 

O'er the hush'd deep the yellow beam he throws, 

Gilds the green wave, that trembles as it glows, 

On old Aegina's rock and Idra's isle, 

The God of gladness sheds his parting smile; 



MODERN ATHENS. 123 

O'er his own regions lingering, loves to shine, 
Though there his altars are no more divine. 
Descending fast the mountain shadows kiss 
Thy glorious gulf, unconquer'd Salamis! 
Their azure arches through the long expanse 
More deeply purpled meet his mellowing glance, 
And tenderest tints, along their summits driven, 
Mark his gay course, and own the hues of heaven; 
Till darkly shaded from the land and deep 
Behind his Delphian cliff he sinks to sleep. 

One cannot fully appreciate the descriptive beauty of 
these lines unless he stands where the poet stood, when the 
inspiration to write came to him, and witnesses with him 
one of these glorious sunsets. There was a wondrous play 
of light and shadow among the ruins as the last rays of the 
sun fell on the grand old columns of the Parthenon. I 
came down from the Parthenon as the shades of evening 
shut out the view of Moreas' Hills. All that is left me now 
of that glorious sunset is a memory; but it will not depart. 

Modern Athens has a freshness and cleanliness about 
it not common to Eastern cities. I refer of course to the 
better part of the place, where broad streets and beautiful 
residences, many of them built of marble, adorn the city. 
Here everything is new and fresh. The new palace, with a 
new king from Denmark, the new residences, new university 
buildings, and new streets laid out with great regularity 
give the new city an air of freshness and newness in strong 
contrast with the ruins, yellow with age, standing as per- 
petual reminders to the Athenians that their town is very 
new indeed. The Parthenon, built by Pericles five hundred 
years before Christ, in contrast, for age, with the Royal Pal- 
ace constructed in the middle of the present century, — 
could contrast be stronger? 

On the crown of a gentle slope, in the center of the 
city, stands the king's palace, a building of considerable 



124 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

proportions and of beautiful exterior. It is built of the 
noted Pentelican marble and in the full sunlight is dazzling 
in its whiteness. Surrounding the palace on three sides are 
beautiful gardens and extensive grounds, finely shaded with 
semi-tropical trees, among which the eucalyptus and the 
pepper tree abound. The front of the building opens upon 
a very large square, ornamented with high, umbrageous 
trees. Along the sides of the square stand many beautiful 
buildings, and here are also found most of the first-class 
hotels. Leading out from the square are several fine boule- 
vards, with rows of shade trees and magnificent marble resi- 
dences that excel even those of aristocratic Paris and Lon- 
don. On one of these beautiful streets are to be found the 
Schliemann Museum and the new college buildings. The 
material used in construction is the purest white marble, cut 
from the ancient Pentelican quarries, noted alike in ancient 
and modern times. The architecture is somewhat modern- 
ized, but I notice that the Corinthian, the Doric and the 
Ionic columns hold their place, as they did on the Acropo- 
lis twenty-three hundred years ago, in the golden age of 
Greece, when Phidias fashioned and Pericles builded what 
has since been the marvel of all ages. 

Driving about the palace, the square and the streets of 
the newer portions of modern Athens one sees marble ev- 
erywhere and is struck with the beauty of the city. Seeing 
only this much of the place we would carry away the notion 
that modern Athens is the gem of Attica, beautiful for situ- 
ation and magnificent in appearance. But on the borders 
of this marble city, and clinging to it as a hideous ulcer on 
a beautiful face, is the older Athens, built when the crescent 
waved over the Acropolis and the rule of the sultan was su- 
preme. Here are the narrow, filthy streets, with rows of 
bazaars on both sides that remind one of oriental scenes in 



SHOPS IN ATHENS. 



127 



Cairo and Damascus. Here are the cheap "-oinio," or wine 
shops and cafes, where, I am told, a quart of Greek wine, 




SHOP IN ATHENS. 



fiery and resinous, may be bought for six cents. Penetrat- 
ing farther into the purlieus of Athens, one finds the streets 
narrower and more filthy still. Poorly paved, with open 



128 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

drainage in the center, the stench becomes almost unbear- 
able. In the open passageways men and women, donkeys, 
dogs, children and goats jostle each other in passing, and 
one must have a care lest he be crowded into the filthy gut- 
ter in the middle of the street. The whole aspect of this 
squalid quarter of Athens is that of an over-crowded, filthy 
Turkish village. In its relation to new Athens, it is as if 
one who had a beautiful home and a well kept lawn should 
construct a pigpen in one corner of his yard. It is to be 
hoped that the modern spirit of energy and enterprise now 
apparent in Greece will soon change this condition of 
things. 

The men one meets on the streets of Athens are well 
built, fine looking, carry themselves erect and impress one 
with their bearing and carriage. They are, I am told, kind 
and courteous to strangers, warm-hearted and generous in 
their intercourse with each other, and may be classed as the 
peers of any European people. The young men among the 
educated class speak one, and sometimes two languages in 
addition to their own, the French standing first and Italian 
and English coming next in choice. 

The Athenian matron is a comely, well dressed, not 
gaudy woman who impresses you, when you meet her, with 
a sense of culture and refinement. The maidens are mod- 
estly reserved, with clear-cut, refined features, large, dark, 
languishing eyes and are, by judges of the human form di- 
vine, classed among the lovely. One is not surprised that a 
man of Byron's susceptibilities should have fallen hopeless- 
ly in love with a fair maid of Athens. 

The ancient Albanian costume is still much worn in 
Athens by the men. This peculiar and picturesque style of 
dress consists of a deep plaited white muslin skirt, confined 
closely about the waist with a belt and standing out from. 




pp. * 





Greek Girl. 



WINE VAT. 131 

the hips like the skirt of a ballet girl. The lower limbs, 
from the hips down, are incased in closely fitting white 
trunk hose. On the feet are worn ornamental curved slip- 
pers, or shoes, made of red leather, with rosettes and tas- 
sels. The upper part of the body is covered with richly 
embroidered shirt and vest. Add to this the jaunty red cap 
with tassel, and you have the complete Albanian costume. 
So popular is it in Greece that eight battalions of the Greek 
army wear it as a uniform. The costume is constantly seen 
on the streets of Athens, and is a source of much curiosity 
to strangers. 

Just now the streets of Athens present a lively appear- 
ance. • It is in the time of grapes and the vintage of wine. 
Everywhere you meet the vender of the fruit of the vine, 
wounding the quiet air with his loud, discordant cries, call- 
ing attention to the luscious fruit he has to sell. He uses 
the patient donkey as his beast of burden. Six baskets are 
tied together in pairs and slung across the back of the little 
animal, three on each side. These are tastefully decorated 
with branches of the vine and olive, and are then filled with 
the largest and finest bunches of the sweetest grapes I ever 
tasted. A pair of scales is added, and the peripatetic grape 
merchant is ready for business. For ten septra, two cents 
in our coin, but much less in the depreciated copper coin of 
Greece, you may have grapes and grapes. 

In many parts of the country the ancient method of 
treading the wine vat is still in use. The ripe fruit is 
thrown into the vat and barefooted, barelegged men tread 
the grapes until the entire mass is reduced to pulp and 
juice. The new wine is put into new bottles, and in the sea- 
son great numbers of wine carts are to be seen in Athens 
Now their number is legion. Each one is loaded with a 
dozen wine skins, and each skin bottle holds ten to twelve 



I32 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

gallons of the juice of the grape. Both skins and wine are 
new, and the former must be. The new-made wine is still 
fermenting and has expanded until each individual bottle is 
stretched as tight as a drumhead. Old bottles would sure- 
ly burst and both "wine and bottles perish." 

One of the peculiar customs noticeable in Athens is 
that of taking the body of the dead in solemn procession 
through the principal streets of the city. I witnessed one 
of these lying-in-state processions, and the impression made 
upon the mind was by no means a pleasant one. A govern- 
ment official of high position had finished his work and 
gone to his long home, and a great military and civic pa- 
rade was made in honor of the dead officer, his body being 
the central object in the procession. First came a band of 
music wounding the unoffending air with biaie of trumpets 
and pounding of drums. Following the band came not- 
ables of the government in carriages and a battalion of sol- 
diers in full dress uniform, and then the mortal remains of 
the dead. The body was placed in a sitting posture on a 
chair and had the appearance of having been carefully 
dressed for an evening party. Just in front of the face of 
the dead man was arranged a mirror in which his features 
were reflected, presumably for the benefit of those who 
walked in the rear. The head and face were uncovered, 
and the people on the streets, who cared to look, could 
have a full view of the dead man. The face had a natural, 
life-like appearance, and had it not been for the slight pal- 
lor of death and the immobility of the features, one might 
have concluded that he had fallen asleep in his chair, as he 
was being carried through the city which delighted to hon- 
or him. The procession moved slowly to the time of a sol- 
emn funeral march. After the passing of the corpse, which 
was shocking to my sensibilities, I reflected that this, after 




A Greek Soldier, 



FUNERALS. 135 

all, was only a different way of doing the same thing that is 
done at home. If a man or woman of note dies, the body 
is arranged carefully, with all the skill of the undertaker's 
art, laid in state in some large church or hall, and the mass- 
es pass through to look at the body of the dead. The dead 
of lesser note are exposed to view in our churches until the 
entire congregation passes in review and takes a last look 
at the body. Some come out of idle curiosity, others out of 
respect, and the few out of love. The Athenians deem it 
best to take the dead in state through the city, thus accom- 
modating the great mass of the people. After all, their 
way may be the best. It were better if there were less 
pomp and show at funerals, less money spent for costly 
processions, less care for the dead and more for the living. 

" Imperial Caesar dead and turned to clay, 
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away; 
O, that that earth which kept the world in awe 
Should patch a wall to expel the winter's flaw!" 

Let the dust be laid decently away, without show and 
parade, and turn ye to the wants of living souls who are 
without Christ and God in the world. 



CHAPTER V. 



Athens to Smyrna — The " Unspeakable Ticrk " — The Massacre of the 
Armenians — An Agape or Love Feast in Smyrna — Mission 
Work — Fellow Pilgrims — 77?,? City of Figs — How Figs are 
Packed — A Trial of Patience — Sailing for the Holy Land — 
Beirut — An Evening Sail Along the Coast cf Tyre and Sidon — 
The Mountains of Lebanon — Mount Carmel — The Prophet 's Test 
— At faff a. 

A short voyage of twenty-four hours brought us from 
Athens to Smyrna. Short as the voyage was, the change 
from well-governed Europe to the loose, irresponsible gov- 
ernment of the " unspeakable Turk " in Asia Minor, was as 
great as if we had journeyed halfway around the earth. 
The change was neither to our liking nor advantage. The 
custom-house officers examined our baggage with evident 
suspicion, and although our passports were properly visaed 
by the Turkish consul at New York, they relieved us of all 
our books and papers, including our Bibles, before permit- 
ting us to go to our hotel. We learned by later experience 
the truth of what we had heard from travelers, that it re- 
quires patience, time and money to recover from Turkish 
officials what has been wrongfully taken from you. It 
might have been as well to pay the money out in the first 
place and save ourselves annoyance, but our party did not 
take kindly to bribery. 

Bro. G. J. Fercken, in charge of our missions in Asia 

Minor, met us on board the steamer and gave us a most 

cordial and hearty welcome to Smyrna. It was pleasant to 

meet our brother and encourage him in his good work. He 
(136) 



RUMORS OF WAR. 1 39 

had secured comfortable rooms for our party at Hotel des 
Londres, not one of the most pretentious houses in the city, 
but one among the best. We found the service excellent 
and had pleasant' quarters during our stay in the City of 
Figs. 

While we remained at Smyrna the air was full of rumors 
of war. The poor Armenians were being slaughtered by 
the thousand, and we were at best a little uncomfortable as 
to results in Smyrna. When the terrible massacre at Con- 
stantinople took place there was much excitement as the 
magnitude of the slaughter became known. The American 
and European residents were not a little relieved by the 
presence of several warships in close proximity. The pa- 
pers from the outside world, which escaped the censorship 
of the Turks, brought news of the proposed action of the 
powers of Europe to put a stop to the barbarous cruelty of 
the Moslems; but it never came to anything. The selfish- 
ness of the powers was too great for their philanthropy. If 
the sultan's empire be dismembered, how shall it be shared 
by the powers? This question overshadowed all else. The 
Armenian Christians were left to be massacred while the 
diplomats fought battles of words and shed gallons of ink 
to maintain the balance of power in Europe. In the mean- 
time the wily Turk, the most accomplished diplomat in the 
world, came out of the contest with flying colors, attesting 
his victory over all Europe. 

Our stay at Smyrna was made doubly pleasant by the 
enjoyment of special religious services. In a quiet upper 
room in our hotel, provided for us by the kindness of the 
proprietor, we met on the Lord's Day, Sept. 29, to hold an 
agape or feast of love. Doubtless it was the first apostolic 
love feast held in Smyrna, the site of one of the Seven 
Churches of Asia, since the time when a church council as- 



140 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

sumed authority to set aside the feast that had been author- 
ized by Christ and instituted by the apostles themselves. 
The place, and the associations connected with it, made the 
feast one of peculiar significance and of special enjoyment 
to those who were permitted to enjoy it. Here it was, 
without much doubt, that St. Paul preached the Gospel and 
laid the foundation for the afterwards prosperous and faith- 
ful church of Smyrna. It was to the church at Smyrna that 
the Seer of Patmos wrote by the direction of the Spirit, " I 
know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art 
rich." It was here that the saintly Polycarp, the first bish- 
op of the church, labored for the flock, over which the 
Holy Ghost had made him overseer, and kept the feast of 
love as well as all the other ordinances of God as they had 
been delivered to him; for the good bishop had sat at the 
feet of John the Beloved and was taught by him the Gospel 
of Jesus Christ. Here it was, too, that when he had passed 
fourscore years he was bound to the stake and, rejoicing 
that he was counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake, 
burned to death. 

To hold a primitive love feast at such a place, with 
such surroundings, was felt to be indeed a blessed, God- 
given privilege by all who were permitted to enjoy it. 
Brother and Sister Fercken, with brethren H. B. Brum- 
baugh, W. L. Bingaman, T. T. Myers, and the writer and 
wife — our band of pilgrims — composed the number who sat 
down at the table of the Lord. We were seven, two sisters 
and five brethren, and we feel sure that no one of those who 
enjoyed the feast at Smyrna, with the rich spiritual blessing 
attending it, will ever forget it. The reading of the Script- 
ure, the observance of the ordinances, the speaking, the 
song service, and the fervent prayer of faith were all won- 
derfully blessed of God. Several Greeks were present as 



HOSTILE FEELINGS. I4I 

spectators. Each with a New Testament in hand, they fol- 
lowed very closely and with much interest the order of ex- 
ercises. In their own tongue, which he used fluently, 
Brother Fercken also fully explained the ordinances ob- 
served. They were deeply impressed, and one of them 
said, " This is surely all in harmony with the teaching of 
Christ." 

At the time of the feast Brother Fercken was ordained 
to the bishopric,' so that he might be fully equipped for the 
work which the church had placed upon him. Brother and 
Sister Fercken desire an interest in the prayers of God's 
people. Only those who have experienced it can know 
what it means to leave home and friends and settle, as our 
missionaries do, in strange lands among strange people. 
The yearning for home and friends, the discouragements 
that come from isolation and the lack of social intercourse 
make the burden a heavy one to be borne. Our mission- 
aries need our prayers, our sympathy and our active help 
and aid in the important work they have to do. 

Just now Brother Fercken is much hindered in his work 
by the hostility of the Turkish government. This has been 
aroused by the Armenian troubles and by the action taken 
by the three great powers of Europe in insisting upon re- 
forms. Owing to a mass of misinformation which has been 
poured into the ears of the officials of the sultan's govern- 
ment by those who are opposed to Protestant missions, they 
are led to believe that the American missionaries are re- 
sponsible for all their troubles. They are told that the 
American missionaries teach and incite revolt and rebellion 
on the part of their subjects, hence the feeling just now is 
strong against us. An effort may even be made to close 
some of the American missions and schools. When the 



142 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

Turks once learn that we teach the people to live in peace 
and not go to war, there will be a change in sentiment. 

Another cause that operates against the American 
Protestants is, as we were told by a prominent American 
who has his home in Smyrna, "the bad specimens they send 
out." The name of Christianity suffers here, as well as it 
does at home, by the nominal professor. 

Brother Fercken has now rented a house and in a few 
weeks will be living in his own " hired house," where he can 
meet those who come for religious instruction. The loca- 
tion was not hastily chosen; and, as much of the future suc- 
cess of the work depends upon where the start is made, our 
missionary acted wisely in deferring this until he had an 
opportunity to study the situation thoroughly. Some diffi- 
culty was also experienced from the fact that those who 
have houses to let insist that no religious services be held in 
them. The place secured is in the Armenian quarter of the 
city, among the oppressed, and the foregoing conditions are 
not exacted. 

We are hopeful for the future, but must not expect too 
much at first. Our missionary is well qualified for the 
work, speaking five languages. The more we learn to 
know of him and of his self-sacrificing spirit, his zeal and 
earnestness, his devotion to the cause, and his ability to 
meet the people and speak to them in their own tongue, the 
more we feel that the Lord has raised him up for this work. 
But it will take time, and failure may come. Paul did not 
succeed in every city he entered. 

The cost of the mission will also be considerable. The 
conditions here are so entirely different from what they are 
at home. If it were possible for our missionary to live as 
the native Turks do, the expenses would be much less, but 
this is simply impossible; and if it were possible and the at- 



BROTHER FERCKEN S WORK. I43 

tempt were made the mission might as well be given up. 
To explain all this fully would require much space. When 
we deal with the oriental mind we have to meet a mental 
organization quite different from the one at home. In 
order to Christianize these people they must be raised to a 
higher plane of living and thinking. To do this they must 
be lifted up, and the lifting power must be above them, — 
not on their own level or below them. The missionary 
must live above them, and bring them up to his plane. 
Let us not be discouraged, then, if it does take some of our 
money to reestablish primitive Christianity in the East, 
where it first saw the light. Let us not forget our mission- 
aries, for persecution is nigh unto them. 

Brother Fercken is doing a quiet work, and already 
some are much interested in the Truth. He will do what 
he can to teach the people without arousing opposition. 
We do not believe in converting people with the sword or 
at the mouth of the cannon. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is 
a gospel of peace on earth and good will to man, and the 
ministers of the Gospel should be men of peace. If the 
world is ever converted to the religion of Jesus it will be 
done only when his professed disciples follow after those 
things which make for peace, and live up to their profes- 
sion. The swords must be beaten into plowshares and the 
spears into pruning hooks, and the law of the Lord be 
written in the heart and made manifest in the life before the 
world can be conquered for Christ. 

In a previous work* I have given an extended descrip- 
tion of the sites of the seven churches of Asia, the subject of 
so much anxious care to the beloved disciple and apostle 
John. To him came the wonderful vision at Patmos in 
which there were given him, from the Son of God, special 

*" Seven Churches of Asia." 



144 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



messages of warning and encouragement to these impor- 
tant centers of the Christian religion in Asia Minor. While 
Smyrna loses none of its interest by a repeated visit, I shall 
give only a brief account of our stay, reserving space for 
other cities and countries visited on our tour around the 
world. 




OUR PILGRIMS AT SMYRNA. 



Our fellow pilgrims made a number of excursions 
around the city, and spent one day among the interesting 
ruins of Ephesus. They mounted donkeys and rode to the 
top of the Acropolis (see photogravure), where an old tradi- 
tion says was located the Apocalyptic church. Not far 
away, beneath the shade of a little grove of cypress trees, is 



CITY OF FIGS. 145 

pointed out the tomb of the good bishop Polycarp, who 
cared for the church at Smyrna for many years, and then as 




TOMB OF POLYCARP. 



a reward for his faithfulness was permitted to wear a 
martyr's crown. He was burned at the stake, in the streets 



I46 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

of Smyrna, in his eighty-fifth year, about the middle of the 
second century. 

Smyrna is the city of figs, being by far the largest 
market for this kind of fruit in the world. The best figs 
known to the trade are grown in Asia Minor, and the pull- 
ing, pressing and packing of figs forms one of the principal 
industries of the people. During the season thousands find 
employment in the packing houses. Many varieties of figs 
are grown in Asia Minor, ranging in color, when ripe, from 
deep purple to yellow or nearly white. The trees bear two 
crops a year. The crop produced by the buds formed in 
the winter ripens in the beginning of summer, and the 
other, which forms the principal harvest, late in the au- 
tumn. Many of the figs of the earlier crop do not mature, 
but drop off. These are the " untimely " figs of the Bible. 
" Even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is 
shaken of a mighty wind."* 

When ripe the figs are picked and dried in the sun. 
The large quantity of grape sugar which they contain pre- 
serves them, and the only additional process after drying is 
pulling and packing. The fruit grower, after the drying 
process has been completed, puts them into large sacks and 
takes his crop to Smyrna, usually on the back of camels. 
It is an interesting sight to see a camel train laden with figs 
passing through the streets. The fruit is sold to the pack- 
ers, and is thrown on the floor in large rooms. When the 
packing begins the figs are sorted by women and girls. 
Three grades are made — small, medium and large. The 
small figs are packed in baskets and sacks and are the 
cheapest grade. The medium and large grades are packed 
in boxes. The work is all done by hand. A vessel con- 
taining salt water is placed at the side of the packer, into 

*Rev. 6: 13. 



PACKING FIGS. I47 

which he dips his fingers frequently as he pulls and presses 
the figs into the proper shape. The salt water prevents the 
sugar and gummy substance from adhering to the fingers. 
After being properly manipulated the figs are placed in 
boxes in layers. The top layer is pressed quite flat. Both 
the fingers and the teeth are used to give the proper shape 
to the figs. I watched the packing process for some time. 
When the packer finds a fig dry and hard, and has difficul- 
ty in shaping it with his fingers, he places it between his 
teeth and gives it the required pressing. I confess that 
after witnessing the manipulation of the figs by the packers 
I concluded that I did not care for the fruit of which I 
have always eaten with great relish. When we left, the 
proprietor, one of the largest fig merchants in Smyrna, 
handed my wife a box containing six pounds of the best 
figs, branded " Elemi," the highest quality known to the 
trade. The figs were opened in India, three months later, 
and were relished as of old. It is strange how soon we for- 
get temporary impressions and fall back into our old ways 
Before leaving Smyrna a determined effort was made 
to recover our books. We had been negotiating for several 
days with the Turks for the return of our stolen property. 
We used the hotel dragoman and interpreter as a means of 
communication with the Moslem officials. After each in- 
terview we were told that on the morrow the books would 
be returned without fail. He that trusteth in the word of a 
Turk shall surely come to naught. Promise after promise 
was made, but the books came not. Had it not been for 
the loss of our Bibles the matter would have been carried 
no further. We could not think of leaving these behind, 
and an application was made to Col. Madden, the American 
Consul. He said: "We shall get those boo~ks to-day," and 
we got them. The Consul detailed his cavassc and drago- 



148 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



manto assist us in finding our property. The search began 
at once, and in good earnest. We were sent from office to 
office, until we had called upon some twenty officials. We 
were finally sent to the censor, whose duty it is to examine 
all books and papers brought into Smyrna by Christian in- 
fidels. In his office we were informed that we might look 




LUNCH IN THE TEMPLE OF DIANA AT EPHESUS. 



around and find our belongings. In a pile on the floor we 
recognized most of our books and papers, and we finally 
found all but one of them. This was a copy of bishop 
Newman's work on Palestine. The censor pointed out the 
objectionable paragraph in which the bishop makes some 
strictures on Mohammed. The book was destroyed, and 
Brother Myers was the loser. After placing the official 



BEIRUT. 149 

seal of Abdul Hamid on each of the books, to show that 
they had been passed upon by the censor, we were allowed 
to take them away. It is .said that every experience that 
comes to us in this life may be of some use to us. This 
may be true, but I have yet to learn what good is to come 
out of this experience with the Turks, unless it be the good 
that results from having one's patience tried. 

On the second day of October, the " Cleopatra," one of 
the best ships on the Austrian Lloyd's, steamed into the 
harbor. Some months before we had engaged passage for 
Jaffa on this ship, and here she was on time. After having 
a farewell meeting with our missionaries and commending 
them and ourselves to the grace of God, we went on board 
the ship and in the evening sailed away for the Holy Land. 
At Smyrna Rev. Dr. Grismer, of the M. E. church, who had 
been with us at Athens, joined us again and became a mem- 
ber of our party for the tour of the Holy Land. Day after 
day and night after night we sailed away over the blue 
waters of the sea. There were no storms, no swelling 
waves, no seasickness; it was in every respect a perfect sea 
voyage. We cast anchor for a few hours at Rhodes, and 
sailed by Cyprus, and on the evening of the fourth day put 
into the harbor of Beirut. 

My journal under date of Oct. 6 says: We parted with 
our traveling companions at Beirut. We had enjoyed a 
most delightful sea voyage together from Smyrna. A 
gentle breeze, soft and balmy, made the warm October 
days delightfully pleasant. The sea, on its good behavior, 
was smooth and calm, and its waters blue as only the 
" great sea " is blue. A bright, clear sky, with the full 
moon making night ashamed of its darkness, added ma- 
terially to the pleasure of the journey. I set it down in my 
notebook as one of the most delightful sea voyages I ever 



I5O GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

enjoyed. On Saturday, Oct. 5, we cast anchor at the base 
of Lebanon. Early on the Lord's Day morning' brethren 
Brumbaugh, Bingaman, Myers and Grismer left us to go to 
Damascus by the new railway, and thence to Jerusalem in 
ten or twelve days on horseback, while we, — wife and I, — 
were to go on by sea to Jaffa, and thence to Jerusalem, 
where we again met our companions two weeks later. 

At two o'clock P. M. we steamed out of the harbor at 
Beirut and took our course southward along the Syrian 
coast. Westward the horizon was bounded by the waters of 
the Mediterranean. The fine weather continued, and the 
sea was literally as smooth as glass. We congratulated 
ourselves that we were to have a pleasant afternoon sailing 
along the western border of the Holy Land, and upon the 
prospect of a smooth landing at Jaffa on the morrow. East 
of us the Lebanon mountains were in full view; once the 
pride of Syria, now brown and bare. The cedar and the fir 
have been cut down, and the " glory of Lebanon " has de- 
parted. As we skirted the foot of the mountain range we 
had ample time to look up and meditate upon the Bible as- 
sociations connected with Lebanon. 

Yonder on the flat beach, which was so close to us that 
it seemed that we might almost throw a stone to the shore, 
may have been the very spot to which Hiram's woodmen 
brought the hewn cedar and fir trees, making a veritable 
logging camp of the place until the floats were made and 
the costly timber was sent by sea to Jaffa, where it was de- 
livered to king Solomon's workmen. In full sight of the 
supposed logging camp was the ancient city of Sidon. And 
force is given to the statement that the camp was located 
in this neighborhood, from the fact that there were none 



CTTY OF TYRE. I5I 

among" all the people in all the land that could " skill to 
hew timber like unto the Sidonians."* 

Along the shores of ancient Phoenicia we sailed, and so 
close, too, that the shore line was plainly visible to the 
naked eye. Modern Sidon, closely and compactly built, 
presents a pleasing sight from the sea. Her groves of mul- 
berry trees, and gardens of oranges, lemons, pomegranates, 
apricots, bananas and palms are in striking contrast with 
the oppressive barrenness all along the coast. These gar- 
dens are the pride of Sidon. The silk industry flourishes, 
and the little city, with fifteen thousand souls, is fairly pros- 
perous. The ancient name Zidonj and the New Testament 
name Sidon are still preserved. Here Paul landed when on 
his way to Rome as a prisoner, and went "unto his friends 
to refresh himself,"! a positive evidence that Christianity 
had been introduced at Sidon at a very early period. 

Just as the sun touched the watery horizon we sighted 
the island and mainland on which, at one time, stood the 
mighty city of Tyre, the proud mistress of the sea. If you 
would like an accurate description of her wealth and great- 
ness, read carefully the thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel. 
Follow this with the reading of the thirty-sixth and thirty- 
eighth chapters of the same prophecy and learn the fate of 
the proud city, and know that the prophecy has been liter- 
ally fulfilled. There is not in all the East a more remark- 
able fulfillment of prophecy than that connected with this 
very city of Tyre. The dust has been literally scraped from 
her and she has become "like the top of a rock." And this 
very day "it is "a place for the spreading of nets in the 
midst of the sea." The history of the place, from the days 



* 1 Kings 5: 6. 

fGen. 49: 13; Acts 12: 20. 

J Acts 27: 3. 



1^2 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

of Ezekiel until it became a miserable fishers' village, com- 
posed of a few poor hovels, is full of interest. It was a 
struggle against prophecy, for the Lord had said, "I am 
against thee, O Tyrus." The modern town has a popula- 
tion of some four or five thousand souls. The streets are 
narrow, dirty and miserable, and the houses dilapidated. 
The inhabitants are poor, and many of them subsist by -fish- 
ing. 

While we look at Tyre the sun sinks into the sea; 

" Not as in northern climes obscurely bright, 
But one unclouded blaze of living light." 

Sunsets at sea have often been described by poets and 
prose writers, but descriptions only feebly portray the glo- 
ries of the god of day, as he sinks to rest in the waves of the 
sea. As the twilight fades away, and darkness comes down 
upon land and deep, the moon, full-orbed, mounts upward 
from the heights of Hermon and floods hill and plain with 
her silver light. She shines in full brightness upon the por- 
tion of Dan, and not far from us the site of the ancient city 
of Lachish, so terribly punished by the Ninevites, catches 
her beams. And there, dimly shining across the sea, are 
the lights of the village Ptolemais, where Paul landed and 
saluted the brethren, abiding with them one day, before go- 
ing on his fatal journey to the city of Jerusalem.* 

Together we sit on the deck and enjoy the beauties of 
the night. We can plainly see every indentation of the 
shore line, and the hills are brought out bold and clear in 
the bright moonlight. And now we have Mt. Carmel be- 
fore us, boldly jutting out into the sea. Every outline of 
the mount of the prophets is clearly cut on the horizon. 
Our steamer headed for the shore, where the lights revealed 

* Acts 21: 7. 



(LESAREA. 153 

the site of Caifa, the seaport of Nazareth. In an incredi- 
bly short time the steamer was surrounded by a howling, 
yelling mob of Arab boatmen. With cat-like agility they 
climbed up the sides of the ship and solicited passengers to 
go ashore. It was a scene of wild, noisy confusion, wit- 
nessed not only here at Caifa, but at all these eastern ports 
where the ships cast anchor half a mile from the shore, and 
passengers are -landed by means of the small boats pro- 
pelled by Arab boatmen. Caifa is an interesting spot. 
Fifteen miles away, in a straight line, is Nazareth and the 
Sea of Galilee. Here the brook Kishon empties into the 
sea, as it has ever since the day its waters ran red with the 
blood of the prophets of Baal, slain by the zeal of the 
prophet of the true God after their signal failure at Carmel. 
The light on the hill, shining above the brightness of the 
moon, marks the site of'the convent of the monks, the tra- 
ditional spot of the great test between Elijah and the Baal- 
ites. On the edge of the cliff stood the servant of the 
prophet looking out upon the blazing heavens for the first 
sign of the cloud that was soon to appear, no larger than a 
man's hand at first, but to grow rapidly until all the heavens 
were overcast with dark clouds and the rain came down in 
torrents, and the three years' drought was broken. Here 
the prophet Elisha dwelt when the Shunammite woman 
came to him in heartbroken haste, for the boy she loved so 
well lay dead in the little room at Shunem. All these and 
many more Bible associations came to mind as we lay 
anchored in the silvery moonlight at the foot of Mt. Car- 
mel. 

Southward again our ship took her course and passed 
by Caesarea, whither Peter, nothing doubting, came from 
Jaffa and gave to the Gentiles the wonderful message from 
the Son of God. Here, too, Paul was brought a prisoner 



154 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

from Jerusalem. Here he was tried, and appealed to Caesar, 
and then made Felix tremble and Agrippa hear the Word 
of Truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. And so we 
sailed on, and nature demanded rest and repose. We went 
below to our comfortable rooms, and sleep, blessed sleep, 
shut out all the world. We were awakened by the rattling 
chains of the dropping anchor and the swashing of the 
waves against the sides of the ship, and we knew that we 
were at Jaffa. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Landing at Jaffa — A Rough Sea — Dangerous Landing — Our Eb- 
enezer — Railways in Palestine — The Threshing Floor — Unmuz- 
zled Oxen — His' Fan is in His Ha7id — The Gleaners — Lydda — 
The Effendi and his Wives — The Leprosy — • Beth-shemesh and the 
Ark of the Covenant — Birthplace of Samson — Whited Sepulchres 
— Farm Life in Palestine — The Ownership of the Land — Cast- 
ing Lots — The Lines are Fallen to me in Pleasant Places — The 
Tax Gatherer. 

Our awakening at Jaffa dispelled all hopes of the 
smooth landing which we had reason to expect when we 
went below the evening before. The sound of the waves 
as they broke against the sides of the ship was ominous, and 
when we went on deck and saw how the small boats that 
were coming from the shore were tossed by the waves we 
said, " The sea at Jaffa keeps up its old-time, Jonah-like 
reputation." By the time we were ready to go ashore the 
sea was quite rough enough to set sensitive nerves in a 
tremble. 

It was the fifth time we had landed and embarked at 
Jaffa, and we took some comfort in the fact that the sea 
was not quite so rough as it was twelve years ago when we 
landed here the first time, or as when Brother Lahman was 
with us two years ago last March. Our old dragoman, 
Bernard Heilpern, who traveled with us through Palestine, 
was among the first to come aboard the ship, and he gave 
us a hearty welcome to the Holy Land again. Many of 
our readers will no doubt recall the account we gave of the 
brave Arab boatman, Sulleimann, when we were here be- 
ds?) 



158 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

fore, — how he saved a large number of lives and was after- 
wards, through envy, cast into prison. They will rejoice 
with us to know that the brave fellow has regained his 
liberty and is in charge of his boat again. 

With the usual amount of noise and confusion, — for 
the Arab does nothing without confusion and noise, wheth- 
er it be the changing of a half piaster or the landing of a 
boatload of passengers, — our trunks and grips were taken 
down and placed in the boat at the imminent risk, we 
thought, of being thrown into the sea; but they were safely 
stowed away. Then we went down the swinging, stair-like 
ladder, waiting at the foot until the boat came up on a ris- 
ing wave, and then, somehow or other, we found ourselves 
seated in the stern. We both needed and used the strong 
arms of the Arab boatmen to help us to a seat. Tossed 
about by the troubled sea, the spray flying at times over 
the prow of the boat, we were at last carried on the crest 
of a wave through the narrow opening in the rocks into 
calm water, and were soon safe on shore. 

A few days after we landed, Mr. Rolla Floyd, an Amer- 
ican who has lived in Palestine about thirty years and taken 
many tourists through the country, had taken a party of 
travelers to a ship, and, in trying to regain the shore, the 
sea being very rough, the boat was thrown on the rocks and 
broken to pieces. Mr. Floyd was badly injured, but was 
rescued from drowning by the boatmen, who are all good 
swimmers. Over against our rough landing should be 
placed the smooth sea when we embarked for Egypt on our 
way to India, Oct. 11, 1895. For once we enjoyed a smooth 
sea at Jaffa, and are happy to record the fact in these 
gleanings. 

Here at Jaffa, twelve years ago, we raised an Ebenezer. 
And now again, as twice before, we knelt down and reverent- 



RAILWAYS IN PALESTINE. I 5Q 

\y thanked God for his wonderful goodness to us. We said, 
" Hitherto hath the Lord helped us," and surely we may 
trust him for all that is to come to us; whether it be pros- 
perity or adversity, sickness or health, life or death, all will 
be well, for his mercy endureth forever. 

The changes which have taken place in Palestine since 
we visited it the first time are many and marked. This is 
true not only of" Jaffa, but of Jerusalem, and many other 
places, as well. Indeed, the old Palestine with its ancient 
Bible customs is rapidly passing away, and before many 
more years shall come and go the Holy Land will be 
modernized. One of the important factors in these changes 
is the introduction of the railway. Already two lines are in 
operation, — one from Jaffa to Jerusalem, and the other 
from Beirut to Damascus, — while a third has been partially 
constructed from Caifa, at the foot of Carmel, to Nazareth. 
When the contemplated lines are completed, Jerusalem will 
be in direct railway communication with Damascus. As 
these changes take place, Palestine loses more and more its 
chief charm. This is to be regretted in one way, yet it 
brings joy to the Christian heart when he remembers that 
all these changes are in the line of the fulfillment of 
prophecy; and in these are to be found evidences that the 
coming of the Lord is near at hand. Even now we may 
"learn a parable of the fig tree; when its branch is yet ten- 
der, and putteth forth leaves, ye know thac the summer is 
nigh." 

The chief means of conveyance between Jaffa and Je- 
rusalem, in years gone by, were horses, camels and donkeys. 
Then a guard of soldiers was necessary, for the road was in- 
fested with robbers, and many a pilgrim was stripped and 
left wounded by the way. Later a wagon road was con- 
structed, and the journey of forty-one miles could be made 



l60 GIRDLING THE GI OBE. 

with some degree of comfort. Now all this is changed. 
You take your seat in comfortable cars at Jaffa, drawn by 
American locomotives, and are whirled over the plain of 
Sharon, across the valley of Ajalon and up the hills of 
Judea, and in four hours you have traveled the entire 
length of the railway, fifty-two miles, and are in Jerusalem. 
Leaving Jaffa the road crosses the plain of Sharon, now 
brown and sere, for no rain has fallen for six or seven 
months. We notice a number of village threshing floors as 
we pass along. The oxen move lazily around the floor 
treading out the grain. The farmer with his fork manipu- 
lates the mass, and the tramping process continues until the 
straw is broken quite fine. The oxen, we observe, are un- 
muzzled and help themselves to the grain when they will. 
The Scriptural injunction, " Thou shalt not muzzle the ox 
that treadeth out the corn," still holds among most of the 
farmers in Palestine. There are enough exceptions to the 
rule to give the Scripture force. Some farmers there are 
who are mean enough to muzzle the ox so that he may eat 
none of the corn. It is remarkable that these old customs 
continue so long. I suppose that in the days of Abraham 
the threshing floor was used in Palestine as it is to-day. 
Our photogravure, taken especially for this work, gives us 
a good view of the threshing floor, with the oxen treading 
out the corn and the farmer with his fork superintending 
the work. When the threshing is completed the farmer 
comes with his fan (shovel) in his hand, thoroughly cleans 
his floor and gathers his wheat into his garner, burning the 
chaff, which is not only useless to the farmer but hurtful as 
well, as it contains the seeds of the tares and other noxious 
weeds. One is reminded of the words of John the Baptist 
when he says of Jesus, " He that cometh after me is might- 
ier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, , . Whose 



LYDDA. I63 

fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, 
and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up 
the chaff with unquenchable fire."* 

Here is another threshing floor. It is close by the way- 
side and very small, not large enough for oxen. It is where 
the gleaners have threshed their scanty store. They have 
toiled all the long. day in gleaning the fallen heads and -even 
the single grains of wheat that have been shattered out. 
There is but little left in the field for them, for there are no 
generous hearted Boazes in Palestine to-day. As soon as 
the last sheaf is gathered, the field is free for the gleaners, 
and as in the day of Boaz and Ruth, so now the gleaners 
gather up what is left by the reapers. 

The train now stops at Lydda, the first station after 
leaving Jaffa. The place is noted for its large olive or- 
chards, the finest in Palestine. Here it was that Peter 
healed the palsy-stricken /Eneas, and was then called in 
great haste to comfort saints at Jaffa who were in deep 
mourning on account of the death of Dorcas. 

At Lydda a Turkish Effendi (an officer of rank) 
brought his harem, or family, on board the cars. There 
were four wives and a number of small children. The 
women were all closely veiled and were after much confu- 
sion placed in a compartment designed for them. The 
car is divided into four compartments, opening into each 
other by doors, and through the center there is an aisle. 
We were seated in the compartment next to that occupied 
by the ladies of the harem. When the conductor came 
through for the tickets he gave a signal by pounding on the 
door with his ticket punch. After waiting a few moments 
he opened the door to pass through, when there was a gen- 
eral scream among the Turkish women, and the door was 

* Matt. 3: 11, 12, 



1 64 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

closed with much violence. The women had uncovered 
their faces and felt greatly outraged to be seen by the con- 
ductor; he was compelled to wait in our compartment un- 
til the women had adjusted their veils, and was then admit- 
ted. Ibrahim, the husband, to whom we were introduced 
by Mr. Heilpern, sat in the compartment with his male 
friends and spent the time in smoking. 

Leaving Lydda, the road passes by Gezer, which still 
retains its ancient name. It was a wedding present to king 
Solomon's Egyptian wife from her father.* She brought 
the wise king not only many rich presents, but idolatry as 
well, and was the primary cause of his fall and the loss of 
the kingdom to his family. Both before and since the days 
of Solomon men and women have been led into sin by be- 
ing unequally yoked together with unbelievers. 

We are now at the village of Ramleh, the traditional 
home of the rich counselor, Joseph of Arimathea, who 
begged the body of Jesus. Here in 1884 we saw the 
dread disease of leprosy for the first time. Since then we 
have seen hundreds of people afflicted with this loathsome 
malady, but never without a feeling of pity for the poor un- 
fortunates. The group of lepers so faithfully photographed 
for this book will give the reader a correct idea of the ap- 
pearance of these poor outcasts. It is a pitiful sight, and 
would move a heart of stone to sympathy. What I wrote 
of the leprosy in 1884, and again in 1893, is true to-day. I 
then said: 

At Ramleh we saw, for the first time, a company of 
lepers — a horrible sight, with which we were destined to be- 
come more familiar before finishing our journey in Pales- 
tine. There were ten or twelve of them sitting by the way- 
side, at the entrance of the town. As we approached them 

* 1 Kings 9: 16. 



LEPERS. 167 

they all got up and crowded around us, holding their arms 
and hands up, so that we could see their terrible condition, 
at the same time uttering the most mournful and beseech- 
ing cries for help. Nothing can be more deplorable than 
their condition; and their agonizing cries and the sight of 
their wretched state would bring pity to the hardest heart. 
In some the disease had gone so far that only the stump 
of a hand was left; joint after joint of the fingers had de- 
cayed, shriveled and fallen away, until all were gone. In 
others the arms were a mass of sore-, to the elbows, and the 
face presented a most horrible and disgusting sight. 

In the law of Moses very exact directions are given, 
first, for the detection of the disease, and, secondly, for the 
separation of the unclean people from the camp of Israel. 
It was by the means provided for in Leviticus, 13th and 
14th chapters, that the dread disease was kept from 
spreading among the people. After being separated from 
the camp, the lepers were shunned and dreaded by all, and 
if they saw any one approach them they were compelled to 
cry out, "Unclean! unclean!" When the ten lepers met 
our Savior they lifted up their voices from afar in entreaty 
and supplication for help, perhaps with the thought that 
he would give them an alms; but he commanded them to 
go according to the law, and show themselves unto the 
priests; and lo, as they went, they were healed. As then, so 
now, the disease is incurable, except by the hand of the 
Almighty. As then, so now, the lepers raise their voices 
in entreaty as the traveler approaches them. As then, so 
now, they are shunned by all; the)' live apart, outside of the 
villages, in some old, ruined buildings, subsisting on the 
charity of the travelers and the villagers. They intermarry, 
and so the dread disease is propagated, for their offspring 
are always leprous. 



l68 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

It seems strange, indeed, that these wretched people 
are allowed to intermarry and thus propagate the horrible 
disease. But, under the Turkish government, little atten- 
tion is paid to the welfare of the common people. Sanitary 
questions do not seem to concern the tyrants who rule and 
ruin the country. As a result, many children are born into 
the world — bright and healthy-looking at first — only to be- 
come the victims of this terrible and loathsome disease. 
According to the best medical authority, leprosy is incur- 
able; and so it has been regarded in all ages of the world. 
No one afflicted with it has ever been healed, except by 
divine aid. God alone can heal and restore the flesh to the 
leper. 

When Naaman came from Damascus to the king of 
Israel, and presented his letter, asking that he might be 
cured of the leprosy, the king was amazed beyond measure. 
He rent his clothes and cried, " Am I God, to kill and make 
alive, that this man doth send to me to recover a man from 
leprosy?" 2 Kings 5: 7. This strong language shows 
that the king of Israel regarded the healing of a leper as 
great a miracle as restoring a dead man to life. And when 
the Syrian had humbled himself enough to wash in the 
Jordan, and his flesh came upon him again, as the flesh of a 
child, he said, " Behold, now I know that there is no God 
in all the earth, but in Israel." 2 Kings 5:15. 

At Damascus — where, singular to say, the disease is yet 
to be found, and there is no doubt that it has clung to the 
city ever since the days of Naaman — as well as at Jerusa- 
lem, there is a hospital for lepers, supported by charity. 
Here the sufferers have medical treatment, but most cl 
them choose not to enter the hospital, as they are not al- 
lowed to marry when once they enter, and they prefer the 
liberty rather than the care afforded them in the hospitals. 



LEPROSY. IDg 

Dr. Thomson gives a striking analogy between leprosy 
and sin, and it illustrates the character of both diseases so 
well that we quote it in full: 

" There is nothing in the entire range of human phe- 
nomena which illustrates so impressively the divine power 
of the Redeemer, and the nature and extent of His work of 
mercy in man's behalf, as this leprosy. There are many 
striking analogies between it and the more deadly leprosy 
of sin, which has involved our whole race in one common 
ruin. It is feared as contagious; it is certainly and inevit- 
ably hereditary; it is loathsome and polluting; its victim 
is shunned as unclean; it is most deceitful in its action. 
New-born children of leprous parents are often as pretty 
and as healthy in appearance as any others; but, by and by, 
its presence and workings become visible in some of the 
signs described in the 13th chapter of Leviticus. The scab 
comes on, by degrees, in different parts of the body; the 
hair falls from the head and eyebrows; the nails loosen, de- 
cay and fall off; joint after joint of the fingers and toes 
shrinks up, and slowly falls away; the gums are absorbed, 
the teeth disappear; the nose, the eyes, the tongue and the 
palate are slowly consumed, and, finally, the wretched vic- 
tim sinks into the earth and disappears, while medicine has 
no power to stay the ravages of this fell disease, or even to 
mitigate sensibly its tortures. 

"Who can fail to find, in all this, a most affecting type 
of man's moral leprosy? Like it, this, too, is hereditary, 
and with infallible certainty. As surely as we have inher- 
ited it from our fathers, do we transmit it to our children. 
None escape. The infant, so lively with its cherub smile 
and innocent prattle, has imbibed the fatal poison. There 
are those, I know, who, as they gaze on the soft, clear heav- 
en of infancy's laughing eye, reject, with horror, the 



170 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

thought that even here the leprosy of sin lies deep within. 
So any one might think and say who looked upon a beauti- 
ful babe in the arms of its leprous mother. But, alas! give 
but time enough, and the physical malady manifests its 
presence, and does its work of death. And so in the anti- 
type. If left unchecked by power divine, the leprosy of sin 
will eat into the very texture of the soul, and consume ev- 
erything lovely and pure in human character, until the smil- 
ing babe becomes the traitor Iscariot, a Nero, a Caesar 
Borgia, or a bloody Robespierre. They were all once smil- 
ing infants. 

" Again, leprosy of the body none but God can cure. 
So, also, there is only one Physician who can cleanse the 
soul from the leprosy of sin. Medicines of man's device 
are of no avail, but with Him, none are needed. He saw 
the ten lepers who stood afar off, and lifted up their voices 
and cried, ' Jesus, Master, have mercy upon us. And when 
He saw them, He said unto them, Go, show yourselves unto 
the priests; and as they went, they were cleansed.' And, 
with the same divine power, He says to many a moral leper, 
' Go in peace; thy sins be forgiven thee,' and it happens 
unto them according to their faith. To my mind, there is 
no conceivable manifestation of divine power more trium- 
phantly confirmatory of Christ's divinity than the cleansing 
of a leper with a word. When looking at these handless, 
eyeless, tongueless wrecks of humanity, the unbelieving 
question starts unbidden, ' Is it possible they can be re- 
stored?' Yes, it is more than possible. It has been accom- 
plished once and again by the mere volition of Him who 
spake, and it was done. And He who can cleanse the leper, 
can raise the dead and can also forgive sins and save the 
soul. I ask for no other evidence of the fact." 

Leaving Ramleh for Jerusalem, the road passes over a 



BETH-SHEMESH. I7I 

portion of country rich in Bible associations. Yonder is 
Gimzo which the Philistines wrested from the weak, idola- 
trous king Ahaz. He put his trust in Tiglath-pileser, the 
Assyrian, but received no help from his father's ally. The 
Philistines took from him six cities and their villages lo- 
cated in the low country south of Judea, the plain over 
which the road passes, among which were Gimzo, Ajalon 
and Beth-shemesh.*" 

It was to the same Beth-shemesh that the Ark of the 
Covenant was taken by the kine. The ark, after its cap- 
ture by the Philistines, had been carried to Ashdod. But 
it proved an unwelcome visitor, and much to the conster- 
nation of the inhabitants of Ekronf it was sent to them. 
This was all brought forcibly to mind as we passed by 
Ekron and read the account over again in the Bible. The 
railway follows the course taken by the two milch kine 
with the cart and the ark of the Lord, for they " went 
along the highway lowing as they went, and turned not 
aside to the right hand or to the left, J until they came to 
Beth-shemesh." To the right of the road, as we go up to 
Jerusalem, is the site of the ancient city, and yonder in 
the valley is the very spot where " they of Beth-shemesh 
were reaping their wheat harvest . . . and they lifted up 
their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it."§ Their 
rejoicing, however, was of short duration. Curiosity led 
them to look into the sacred chest, and they paid dearly 
for their violation of the law. They were doubtless as glad 
to give the ark to the men of Kirjath-jearim as they had 
been in the first place to receive it from the Philistines. 

The birthplace of Samson, Zorah, is passed to the left, 

*2 Chron. 28: 18. 
1 1 Sam. 5: 10. 
I 1 Sam. 6: 12. 
§ i Sam. 6: 13. 



1/2 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

now noticeable on account of the whitewashed tombs, visi- 
ble from the railway as we pass by. We were informed 
that these tombs are carefully whitewashed every two or 
three years, and here we have a practical illustration of 
the Savior's words to the Pharisees: "Ye are like unto 
whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, 
but are within full of dead men's bones and of all unclean- 
ness."* But these are not the only whited tombs in Pales- 
tine. They are to be seen at many places. Still farther 
up the valley Etam is passed, and a cave in the top of 
the rock is pointed out where, tradition says, Samson hid 
from the Philistines after he " smote them hip and thigh 
with a great slaughter." It is interesting to read these 
Bible events where they occurred so long ago. But while 
we have been reading and meditating, the train enters the 
valley of Rephaim, and we are at Jerusalem again. Mr. 
Gelat, our host of the New Hotel, meets us at the depot, 
and we are soon comfortably lodged at our Jerusalem home. 

A subject of general interest is that of land tenure, and 
the question is often asked, " How are the lands held in 
Palestine, and what are the rights and privileges of the 
owners?" We are indebted to Mr. S. Berghman, who 
has spent ten years farming on the plains of Sharon near 
Ramleh, for reliable information as to the ownership of 
land. 

The Fellahin or Arab farmers dwell in villages, and 
the village lands are divided into three classes: 

I. The lands belonging to individuals in whom the 
title vests. The owner of such land may give away, sell, 
or bequeath his real estate, and if he owns any at his death 
it falls to his heirs. The owner of such land must pay an 
annual tax of from three to five per cent on the actual 

* Matt. 23: 27. 



AGRICULTURAL LANDS. 1 73 

valuation of the land. Such valuation is made every five 
years. Buildings may be erected at the pleasure of the 
owner but are subjected to a tax, in addition to that paid 
in on the land, based on their actual cost. Lands of this 
class are usually close to the village, and are almost al- 
ways used for orchards and gardens. 

II. The lands .belonging to the State or Imperial Gov- 
ernment, i. e., the sultan at Constantinople. These are 
called the agricultural lands, and are farmed in common 
by the villagers, who raise wheat, barley, beans, lentils, 
millet, and at some places small quantities of tobacco. 
The right to cultivate these lands is held in common by 
all the members of the community. No individual can 
own any lot or parcel of the arable land, and his right be- 
gins only after an allotment has been made for the year. 
The title vests in the state, and no houses may be built 
or trees planted on lands of this class without a special 
permit from the highest officer of the treasury department. 
When such permit has been given, the houses and trees 
become freehold property, but the ground on which they 
stand still belongs to the state. 

Each year the agricultural lands are apportioned for 
plowing and sowing to the members of the community who 
desire and are able to cultivate them. Each individual 
has by inheritance the right to plow and sow on the state 
land, and it is divided into equal portions, according to 
the number of yokes of oxen in the village; the man who 
runs two yokes of oxen gets twice as much to plow as he 
who owns but one, and two men owning an ox each, to- 
gether get just as much as he who owns a yoke. These 
two work together, one day on the land allotted to the one 
and the next on that allotted to the other. 

No stranger is allowed to cultivate any of the lands of 



174 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

a village without the consent of the entire community, and 
no member of a community can let or rent his portion of 
land to a stranger. He may enter into partnership with 
one who will furnish seed and oxen, but this must be 
arranged before the allotment is made. Such a stranger 
then becomes a member of the community, subject to all 
its laws and regulations. The portion of land allotted 
to a villager is his from the time he begins to plow until 
he carries the last sheaf from his field to the village 
threshing floor. Then his individual right lapses, and the 
land reverts to the community. 

The land is apportioned, as in Bible times, by lot. Aft- 
er the fields have been measured with a rope or line, each 
is named. Their names are given either accidentally or 
for some special reason. Thus, a field with a peculiar 
rock in it is called "the field of the rock," another, "the 
field of the trees," and others still "field of road," "field 
of the mound," " field of the fight," etc. One is here very 
forcibly reminded of the name given to the parcel of 
land bought with the thirty pieces of silver, " the field of 
blood."* The land has been previously laid' out in four 
great divisions, eastern, western, northern and southern. 
The names of the fields of each of these divisions are then 
plainly written on small, smooth pebbles, and these are 
put into four small sacks, one for each great division of 
the land. The farmers then form themselves into a half 
circle, in the center of which is seated the imati, the head 
or chief man of the village. Two little boys, always under 
five years of age-, so that they may be wholly unbiased, 
stand near him, one on each side. 

They are now ready for the casting of lots. One of 
the small sacks is taken up, and one of the boys puts his 

* Matt. 27: 5-8. 



DIVIDING THE LAND BY LOT. 175 

hand into it and takes a pebble or lot. The iman then 
asks the other boy, "Whose field is this?" and the boy 
either calls out the name, or points to one of the villagers, 
and the land is allotted to him and so recorded. There is 
no appeal from this lot, and each farmer must be satisfied 
with the field which has been assigned to him. 

As the farmers stand around waiting for the lots that are 
to fall to them, each one exclaims, as the boy puts his 
hand in the sack, " God keep, maintain and uphold my 
lot," and David's words are brought to mind, "Thou main- 
tainest my lot. The lines are fallen to me in pleasant 
places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. "f Mr. Berghman 
is of the opinion that this passage would be more correctly 
rendered from the Hebrew text as follows, " Thou holdest 
or standest by the pebble of my lot. The dividing lines 
have been stretched out for me in pleasant places. Yea, 
a goodly inheritance by lot is given me." It is an inter- 
esting proceeding, and may not differ widely from that 
adopted by Joshua when he divided the land by lot among 
the Israelites more than three thousand years ago. 

The land in this way is divided every year, and thus no 
member of the community receives the same portion of 
land every year. It may fall to him again by lot, and it 
may not; the chances are against its doing so. 

The dividing lines between the fields are deep, double 
furrows, but as these disappear after heavy rains, stones 
are piled up at each end, and these are called the stones 
of the boundary. To remove such stones while the crop 
is growing, or before it is gathered in, is considered a great 
sin. He who does so robs his neighbor not of part of his 
land but of his crop, which is his living, and is sure to 
bring upon his head the malediction of all right-thinking 

t Psa. 16: 5, 6. 



I76 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

men. As it was in the days of Joshua so it is now. 
" Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor's land mark."* 
The curse is based on the older law, which says, " Thou 
shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark which they of 
old time (i. c. chiefs or elders) have set up. "\ 

Each village supports two public servants. The iman, 
who is a kind of preacher, leads in the prayers, performs 
whatever marriage ceremony is necessary, buries the dead, 
keeps all public accounts, such as taxes, repairs of the 
mosque, and expenses of the guest-chamber provided for 
strangers. The other is the natoor or watchman, whose 
duty it is to keep a lookout for strangers, invite them to 
the guest-chamber and provide them with food. He must 
take care that no cattle from a strange village stray upon 
the lands or graze on the pastures of the community. 
They receive their pay not in money, but in grain, each 
farmer contributing so many measures, according to the 
number of fields he cultivates. The chief and watchman 
also have a parcel of land allotted to them, which is usu- 
ally plowed and sown for them by the farmers without 
charge. 

Oxen are usually employed for plowing, but I have 
seen on the plains of Sharon an ox and an ass yoked to- 
gether. This is considered unjust, and is done only when 
it cannot well be avoided. " Thou shalt not plow with an 
ox and an ass together. "§ I have also seen horses, mules, 
and camels drawing the plow, and Mr. B. tells us that on 
several occasions he has seen a man or a woman attached 
to a plow, pulling side by side with a donkey. 

The agricultural lands pay two kinds of taxes; first, a 

* Deut. 27: 17. 
% Deut. 19: 14. 
§ Deut. 22: 10. 



TAX GATHERERS. I77 

money tax of from three to five per cent on the valuation 
of the land. The farmers pay in proportion to the amount 
of land they cultivate. If any of the land is not cultivated, 
the tax on it is collected from the male inhabitants of the 
village equally. The elder or chief man collects this tax 
and pays it to the government. Second, the tenth or tithe 
of all the land produces. This tax is based on the Bible, 
and is as old as the time when Jacob set up a pillar at 
Bethel, and made a vow unto the Lord, saying, " And of 
all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth un- 
to thee."* And this vow of Jacob was afterward incorpor- 
ated in the law by Moses: "And all the tithe of the land 
whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree is 
the Lord's. . . . The tithe of the herd, or of the flock, 
even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall 
be holy unto the Lord. "7 

The collection of the tenth is the source of much op- 
pression, and the poor farmer is made to suffer. The tax 
is sold to the highest bidder, and the ashar or' tax collector, 
in addition to the bribes he pays the officials to secure 
the purchase, has to pay a larger sum than the actual value 
of the tenth if it were honestly collected. The villagers 
are not allowed to begin harvesting until the ashar arrives. 
His whole object is to get as much out of the farmer as 
he possibly can, and this is done by a series of annoyances, 
until the farmers, out of sheer necessity, are obliged to 
compromise with the tax gatherer. Mr. B. gives it as his 
opinion, after ten years' experience among the Arab farm- 
ers, that instead of the tenth honestly due by law the 
ashar carries off at least one-third of the crop. These tax 
gatherers are hated by the people, and the term ashar is 



*Gen. 28: 22. 
f Deut. 27: 30-32, 



i;8 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



always applied to extortionate, merciless men. They enjoy 
no better reputation than did the publicans in New Testa- 
ment times. 

III. The third class of lands are those set apart at 
various times for the maintenance of mosques and tombs, 
such as the Mosque of Omar and the tomb of David at 




THE ONE-HANDLED PLOW. 



Jerusalem, and the mosque over the tomb of Abraham at 
Hebron. These lands are held and taxed in the same way 
that the agricultural lands are managed. The tax, how- 
ever, is paid into a special treasury. 

A new law has been introduced within the last few 
years in reference to land tenure, which, if enforced, will 
change these old Bible customs. The lands of the second 



MODERN INNOVATIONS. I79 

class are to be divided by an imperial commissioner into 
various portions, and given to individual villagers. They 
receive title deeds and may sell their right to cultivate 
either to a villager or to a stranger. The taxes, of course, 
remain the same. It is said the law is to be strictly en- 
forced, and if it is, a number of the ancient customs or land- 
marks of Bible times will entirely disappear. Gradually 
modern innovations are revolutionizing the Holy Land. 
Great changes have taken place since we first visited it in 
1884. Present indications are that greater changes will take 
place in the years to come, and very soon a visit to Pales- 
tine will have lost its chief charm, — the ancient Bible cus- 
toms. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Measuring Grain — Poverty of Jerusalem — Excavations — Gates 
Sunk in t/ie Ground — Two Women Grinding at the Mill — The 
Shepherd and his Flock — Night on Olivet — A Jewish Funeral — 
The Kings Wine Press — Eastward and Homeward — ■ On to 
Egypt. 

A month and a half spent in the Holy City, after two 
previous visits, was none too long. There are many nooks 
and corners to be searched out, places of great interest to 
the Bible student, which are never seen by the hasty travel- 
er. Make haste slowly, is a good rule in visiting Jerusalem. 
I had an illustration of this one day as I walked by the 
grain market and saw the merchant selling and measuring 
grain; something my two previous visits to the city had not 
revealed to me. The photogravure tells the whole story, 
but needs an explanation. The merchant takes the meas- 
ure, — about the size of the old-fashioned, honest half bush- 
els of my boyhood days, — and fills it with grain. He then 
seizes the measure with both hands, shaking it vigorously 
so that the grain is well shaken together. Adding more 
grain, he presses it down with both hands, seeming anxious 
to get all the grain possible into and on the measure. He 
heaps it up, pressing the grain on; and when you think it 
impossible for him to add any more, he makes a hole in the 
top of the heap, and then takes up a handful of grain and 
allows it to run from his hand into the hole until it fills up 
and then runs over the measure all around. Then the pur- 
chaser carefully puts the mouth of the sack over the meas- 
ure, and thus secures even' grain when it is emDtied into his 

(i So) 



MEASURING GRAIN. 183 

sack. I watched the measuring intently for some time, and 
my mind naturally went back to the words of the Master, 
who, when he was in Palestine, witnessed many times just 
such measuring as is here described: "Give, and it shall be 
given unto you ; good measure, pressed down, and shaken 
together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. 
For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be 
measured to you again."* 

I contrasted the measuring of the grainseller in Jerusa- 
lem with that with which I was familiar in my youth when 
I worked on the farm in Maryland and Pennsylvania, when 
grain was often sold by measure. How carefully the old 
half bushel was handled so that the grain was not shaken 
together, and then how evenly it was stroked with a 
straightedge so that the measure should be only level full. 
In those days it was even whispered that some farmers had 
a stroke slightly convex, so that after the stroking of the 
measure it was not even-full of grain. But the Jerusalem 
grainseller does not measure that way. He presses down, 
shakes together, heaps up and fills the measure to running 
over. The scene was of intense interest, and was worth a 
trip to Jerusalem to look upon. To see the very same way 
of measuring so graphically described by the Master, and 
to realize that the old Bible custom has continued here for 
at least two thousand years, is to give one a stronger faith 
in the Book and in God's providences. 

Many persons who visit Jerusalem are seriously disap- 
pointed. Instead of the beautiful city pictured in their im- 
aginations, which are no doubt assisted by the writings of 
some of the poetical dreamers and word painters who visit 
Palestine from time to time, they find houses without archi- 
tectural beauty, streets poorly paved, narrow and dirty, des- 

*Luke6:38. 



I84 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

olation on all sides, obtrusive poverty that can be felt, filth 
and dirt everywhere, with tradesmen whose sole living de- 
pends upon the money they can get out of travelers, and 
this often without regard to adequate return. Add to all 
this the barren, desolate hills around the city, which at this 
season are without a spear of grass, and the picture of deso- 
lation is quite complete, and it is no wonder that the travel- 
er is not favorably impressed. But to us all these things 
are full of interest, because they are the fulfillment of 
prophecy, and bear testimony to the truth of the Bible. 
Keeping in mind the filthy streets, the poverty and desola- 
tion of the city, read these words spoken by God's prophets 
twenty-five hundred years ago, " How doth the city sit soli- 
tary that was full of people, how is she become as a widow. 
. . The ways of Zion do mourn, her gates are desolate. . . 
All her beauty is departed. . . All that honored her de- 
spised her. . . Her filthiness is in her skirts. . . Zion 
spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort 
her." And those bitter, sad words, uttered by the greatest 
of all the prophets, " Behold your house is left unto you 
desolate." If the prophets lived to-day, and were to de- 
scribe Jerusalem, they could not write in more expressive 
language than they used so many centuries ago. Their 
words became history, for history is prophecy fulfilled, 

One of our company expressed his feelings about Jeru- 
salem in this way: "Take out of the city a few of the fam- 
ilies who live there, and I should say it is the meanest city 
I have ever seen." The very statement is in harmony with 
the predictions of the prophets. "All her beauty is de- 
parted. . . All that honored her despised her." Despised 
and spoken against as she is, sitting in solitude and weep- 
ing, yet the day will come when Jerusalem shall rejoice as a 
regal queen. As the days of her desolation have been fore- 



EXCAVATIONS. 187 

told, so, also, has the glad day of her restoration been pro- 
claimed. 

We were much interested in the work of excavating the 
ancient walls, now being carried on by Dr. Bliss, for the 
Palestine Exploration Fund. We visited the excavations a 
number of times, climbing down shafts and exploring dark 
tunnels. At some future time a synopsis of the work done 
may be given. Here space is taken for only one discovery. 

At one point an ancient gate was discovered, and on 
excavating about it they found that it occupied the site of 
not only one, but of two earlier gates. These three gates, 
one built above the other, are to be seen very plainly. The 
first thrown down "sank into the ground" as it were, and then 
a second was built above the first, and so also the third. 
We examined all this very carefully and saw the sockets in 
which the gates swung. The most striking fact about it is 
that the prophet Jeremiah, speaking of the desolation of 
Jerusalem, uses this language: "The Lord hath proposed to 
destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion. . . Her gates are 
sunk in the ground ; he hath destroyed and broken her bars." 
The sunken gates of the wall of Zion bear testimony in 
these last days to the truth of the Book of God. 

But while Jerusalem and Palestine are desolate, — and 
never so desolate looking as at this season of the year, just 
before the early rains fall, — yet the city and country are so 
full and rich in Bible associations, and existing conditions 
agree so exactly with God's Book, that he who is interested 
in Bible study forgets the desolation and enjoys a rich feast 
in visiting the Holy Land. The agreement between the 
Land and the Book settles beyond all question of doubt the 
historical accuracy of the Bible. In the measuring of grain, 
already referred to, there could be no closer agreement with 
the words of Christ; and instances of this kind might be 



188 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

multiplied many times. It would be a pleasant and profit- 
able theme for investigation, but in girdling the globe I 
cannot enter largely into this interesting subject. I must be 
content with referring to but two ancient Bible customs still 
retained in Palestine. Our artist has well and faithfully 
photographed both of these and rendered valuable assis- 
tance to both writer and reader. One picture is of "two 
women grinding at the mill," the other is of a shepherd 
leading his flock out of the sheepfold to the pastures. 

The Master, referring to the coming of the Son of Man 
and the judgment day, says: "Two women shall be grinding 
at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."* 
The photogravure on page 185 reproduces just what Jesus 
saw many, many times when he walked through Palestine. 
Study the picture, for you have before you the scene from 
which he drew the illustration in the language quoted, and 
by which he taught a great truth; and then reflect that 
eighteen hundred and sixty-four years passed from the time 
Jesus saw the women grinding at the mill till the taking of 
the photograph. Through all these centuries the custom 
has not ceased, and who will say that the Lord, when he 
comes again, will not find women grinding just as he said 
he would? 

And here is the shepherd leading his flock out of the 
sheepfold. Along the valleys and on the hillsides — where- 
ever the grass grows — he leads his sheep. One cannot 
look upon a scene of this kind without calling to mind 
numerous scriptural allusions to the shepherd and his flock. 
As in the days of the Shepherd King who said, "The Lord 
is my shepherd; I shall not want," and in the days when 
our Lord, the great Shepherd, led his sheep about Pales- 
tine, so to-day the shepherds in the Holy Land lead their 

*Matt. 24: 41. 



THE SHEPHERD AND HIS FLOCK. igi 

sheep and call them by name. Our Lord said: "I am the 
good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of 
mine;" and again: "He calleth his own sheep by name, and 
leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own 
sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for 
they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, 
but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of 
strangers."* How many times in Palestine have I seen the 
shepherds lead their flocks. Among the hills which encom- 
pass Jerusalem on every side, on the plains about Bethle- 
hem, in the valley of the Jordan, along the shores of the 
Sea of Galilee, over Hermon and Lebanon and by the 
waters of Abana and Pharpar, have I witnessed the shep- 
herd going before his flock and calling his sheep by name, 
and the sheep following their leader. Once in the valley 
south of Jerusalem I saw a shepherd leading his flock, and 
called to the sheep, but they knew not the voice of the 
stranger and fled away affrighted. Often in the evening 
you may hear a shepherd calling from a hilltop to a com- 
panion in the valley below, asking whether there are any 
stray sheep in 'his flock. The answer is: "Call, and I will 
see." The shepherd whose sheep have gone astray then 
gives a peculiar call with which his sheep are familiar, and 
his stray sheep lift up their heads, while the rest of the 
flock go on grazing as if nothing had happened. The sheep 
know their shepherd's voice. 

There is something strikingly beautiful and assuring in 
the language of the first verses of the twenty-third Psalm, 
and it is not a fancy of the imagination; but it is a simple 
fact, both as to the custom to which David alludes and the 
care of the Lord for his people: "The Lord is my shep- 
herd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green 

*John 10: 3-5. 



192 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters."* Could 
language be more tender or beautiful? Then to see the 
shepherd leading his flock with tender care to the pastures 
and the water brooks, makes the language all the more real 
and eives the entire fi snare an intensified meaning. 





ABANA, DAMASCUS. 



Isaiah also refers to the Good Shepherd in this beauti- 
ful language: "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he 
shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his 
bosom. "f And Micah says: "Feed thy people with thy rod, 
and the flock of thine heritage. "J As a rule the shepherd 

*Psalms 23: 1, 2. 
flsa. 40: 11. 
' JMicah 7: 14. 



FISHING IN CALILEE. I93 

does not need to feed his flock; but late in the fall, when 
the pastures are dried up, this becomes necessary. The 
shepherd carries a rod or staff when he leads his flock forth 
to the pastures to feed them. With it he guides his sheep 
and defends them from their enemies. The rod and staff 
are referred to in the twenty-third Psalm: "Thy rod and thy 
staff they comfort me." Thomson says of the shepherds of 
Palestine that they are armed in order to defend their 
charges and are very courageous. Many adventures with 
wild beasts, not unlike that recounted by David, occur; and 
though there are now no lions here, wolves, leopards and 
panthers still prowl about these wild valleys.* They not 
infrequently attack the flock in the presence of the shep- 
herd. I have listened with interest to their descriptions of 
desperate fights with the savage beasts. And when the 
thief and robber come — and come they do — the faithful 
shepherd has often to defend his flock at the hazard of his 
life. "The shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. "f 

And now we are made glad by the coming of our fel- 
low pilgrims, who left us some weeks ago at Beirut. They 
report an exceedingly interesting but tiresome and some- 
what dangerous journey from Damascus to Jerusalem. In 
northern Syria, at Hermon and Banias they were in peril by 
robbers and lawless inhabitants, and it was only after reach- 
ing Galilee that they felt comparatively safe. Here the)' 
enjoyed fishing in the Sea of Galilee and our picture shows 
them as spectators at the interesting scene. 

After their arrival the days went by more rapidl)/ still. 
There were journeys to Hebron, to the Jordan, to the home 
of the prophet Samuel, to Bethlehem and Bethany. Jerusa- 
lem and the hills and valleys round about occupied days of 



*i Sam. 17: 34-37. 
tjohn 10: 11. 



194 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



walking and donkey riding, and by the time the work was 
done we were a weary band of pilgrims. In these walks 
and rides we saw much of interest, but here we have space 
for but a moonlight night partly spent on Olivet. This 




FISHING IN GALILEE. 



from my notes: Saturday, Nov. 2. At eight o'clock in the 
evening we left our hotel, passing through the streets of Je- 
rusalem and going out at St. Stephen's gate, which pierces 
the eastern wall of the city. As we descended the hillside, 
going down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, 1 spoke to the 
pilgrims about the probability of Christ having gone down 
this same steep hillside after the last supper. The full 
moon shone with a wonderful brightness from a clear sky. 
The hills and valleys were shown in clear outline, and the 



JEWISH FUNERAL. 



195 



shadows fell deeply in the valley of Kidron. The subdued 
light of the moon brought out the beauty of the scene with- 
out the barrenness so apparent in the bright sunlight. 
From the valley we climbed up Olivet, passing Gethsemane 
on the way, until we reached a level platform, and there 
under an old olive tree we sat down and sang together: 




1SHMAELITES. 



"Alas! and did my Savior Bleed?" "Have you ever heard 
the Story of the Babe of Bethlehem?" and "Nearer, my God, 
to Thee." It was a solemn, but at the same time an enjoy- 
able prayer meeting, held at a sacred place — Gethsemane 
at our feet, Jerusalem quiet and peaceful lying over yonder 
in the bright moonlight. 

Then we moved farther up the mountain, and there 



10 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

came to our ears the low, moaning sound of solemn 
chanting. It was not far from the hour of midnight. 
Looking across the valley from where the moaning came, a 
procession was seen coming down into the valley of Jehosha- 
phat from the southeast corner of the city wall. The lan- 
terns and torches were dimly visible in the bright moon- 
light. As it crossed the valley and ascended Olivet we as- 
certained that it was a funeral procession on the way to the 
Jewish burial ground on the slope of the mountain. The 
body of the dead was carried on a stretcher made by unit- 
ing two strong poles with a number of chains. On the 
chains the body was laid and covered with a white cloth, 
and carried on the shoulders of four men who frequently 
changed places with others who walked by their side. The 
body was that of an elderly woman, and the procession was 
made up of about fifty of the sons of Abraham. As it 
passed where we were standing we joined the procession 
and followed the body to the grave. The stretcher with its 
silent burden was laid down on a flat tombstone at the side 
of the open grave. A man laid aside his outer robe and got 
down into the grave. Others removed the white cloth from 
the dead. The body was closely wrapped in black cloth. 
Two men, one at the head, the other at the feet, took the 
body and lowered it to the man in the tomb. The man 
took it in his arms and laid it in the grave, and then with 
flat stones built a box over it. First stones were set up on 
edge at both sides of the body, with one at the head and 
another at the feet. Then flat stones were laid on these, 
covering the body in a coffin of stone. The grave was then 
hastily filled by scraping in the earth. When it was level 
with the top of the ground a stone wall about a foot in 
height was built around the grave and the inside was filled 
with earth. A psalm was read, a prayer for the soul of the 



WINE VATS. 1 97 

dead was offered by the attending priest, the funeral party 
dispersed, and we turned away from the Jewish necropolis 
on the western side of Olivet. 

After the burial .1 conversed with an intelligent German 
Jew, one of those who attended the funeral. He said: 
" When death occurs the body is at once prepared for the 
tomb, and is buried within a few hours." I was informed 
that as soon as God takes the soul out of the body a poi- 
sonous emanation arises from it; hence the desire to bury as 
quickly as possible. If death occurs on a feast or sabbath 
day the burial is deferred until after sunset, which closes the 
Jewish day. Hence the burial on Olivet by moonlight, of 
which we had been interested witnesses. 

On our return to the city we walked around to the 
Jaffa gate and found it open after the hour of midnight. 
As a matter of fact the gates of Jerusalem stand open day 
and night. 

In our walks about Jerusalem we revisited what are 
now called the " king's wine presses," or, more properly 
speaking, wine vats. The outline sketch made after my 
own measurement will assist the reader in getting a correct 
idea of the wine vats in use in Palestine in Bible times. A 
series of vats is hewn into the solid rock on the slope of 
the hill. In the sketch two vats are shown; the smaller one 
has a capacity of thirteen hundred and forty gallons, while 
the larger would hold three thousand gallons. It will be 
observed that the upper has a smaller one connected with it 
by means of a gutter or trough cut in the rock. The smaller 
vat is the real wine press; into this, and the five smaller vats 
connected with the lower and larger receptacle, the grapes 
were thrown and the treading process took place. Men, 
barefoot, trod upon the grapes until the entire mass was re- 
duced to pulp and juice. Then more grapes were thrown in 



■ ■ ' " " ll"IUJ, 








King's Winepress. 



WINE SKINS. I99 

and the treading went on, the juice flowing through the gut- 
ters into the larger vats below. 

Referring to the wine vats, I repeat the observations 
made in a previous volume.* Treading the wine press was 
hard and wearisome labor, and as the red grape, with juice 
red as blood, was grown in Palestine, the raiment of those 
who trod in the vats became red, and from this fact Isaiah 
drew one of his most vivid figures of speech: "Wherefore 
art tlwn red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him 
that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress 
alone; and of the people there was none with me."f Some 
of the treading vats or presses were large enough for sev- 
eral men to stand in them and crush grapes at the same 
time. Others were so small that but one could stand in 
each of them, and he " trod the winepress alone." The 
treading out of the blood-red juice of the grape is referred 
to by St. John in the Apocalypse when he speaks of the 
" great winepress of the wrath of God," and of the 
wicked who are cast into " the great winepress of the wrath 
of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, 
and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse 
bridles. "J 

Near the winepress is a great cistern or cellar hewn in- 
to the rock, in which it is more than likely the wine was 
stored in skin bottles. After the wine had fermented in the 
large vats it was put into the skins and then stored away in 
the cellars. The one here is forty-six feet deep and, it has 
been estimated, would hold fifty thousand wine skins, or 
about half a million gallons of wine. The king's wine cellar 



♦"Wanderings in Bible Lands." 
t Isa. 63:2,3. 
% Rev. 14: 19, 20. 



200 GIRDLING TFE GLOBE. 

was of such importance that an overseer was appointed 
" over the increase of the vineyards for the wine cellar."* 

How rapid is time in its flight, and doubly rapid it is 
when we are busily engaged in an enjoyable work. To us 
no other days and weeks ever went by so quickly as did 
those spent in the Holy City. And now the time comes 
to move on again. Eastward and homeward, thank God! 
we turn our faces. The weeks spent at Jerusalem were full 
of interest and of profit. Much of the time was spent in 
walks about the city and in making short tours to places of 
biblical interest in the neighborhood of the city. With the 
Bible as a guidebook, and with the knowledge gained on 
previous visits, we went about from place to place without a 
dragoman. In this way the time passed quickly, and not a 
single day dragged heavily on our hands. We saw much 
and learned much, and we were glad for the opportunity to 
gain a better and more intimate personal knowledge of the 
city of the great King and its close relation to the old, old 
Bible story. 

While the time passed quickly and pleasantly, there 
was also some anxiety connected with our sojourn in Pales- 
tine. The cholera broke out in Egypt, and at one time it 
was reported that it also prevailed at Damascus. This 
rumor, however, proved, much to our relief, to be without 
foundation. But the political situation gave us the most 
concern. Rumors of war were rife, and during the last 
week of our stay the Turkish authorities suppressed all 
newspapers. These were burned at Jaffa by the postoffice 
officials, and we were left without news from the outside 
world. Toward the last scarcely a day passed that did not 
witness the arrival of recruits for the army. These passed 
through the streets singing war songs, the burden of which, 

* i Chron. 27: 27. 



FRESH-WATER CANAL. 203 

we were informed, at some places at least, was, " Long live 
the sultan and death to the Christian heretics." Under 
these circumstances we were not sorry to get away from 
Palestine. We learned afterwards that, the evening before 
we left, the mission at Shechem was attacked by Moham- 
medans, and some of those connected with the work were 
severely wounded. 

We left Jerusalem Nov. 11 to go down into Egypt. 
From the Holy City to Jaffa we journeyed by rail, and 
thence by steamer to Port Said. Although the long sum- 
mer drouth of seven months was broken two weeks before 
by a grateful fall of the early rain, the mountains, valleys, 
and plains were still barren. A few months later and they 
would be covered with verdure, and beautiful flowers would 
bloom by the wayside. At Jaffa we enjoyed the novelty of 
a smooth, calm sea when we embarked, — something so un- 
usual in our experience that we make a note of it. The 
voyage on the " Vorwarts " was delightfully pleasant. In 
the evening, as the shades of night came down upon the 
hills of Judea and the plains of Sharon, shutting off the 
Holy Land from our sight, we sailed away from Jaffa, and 
early next morning cast anchor at Port Said and were 
again in the land of the Pharaohs. 

Since the writer visited Egypt in 1891-2, in company 
with Brother Lahman, a railway has been constructed on 
the right bank of the Suez Canal to Ismailia, so that the 
former port is now connected with Cairo by rail. A fresh- 
water canal has also been completed, and Port Said now has 
a plentiful supply of Nile water. Such is the fertilizing 
power of the water of the river of Egypt that it rapidly 
turns the desert into a garden, and the city can now boast 
of beautiful gardens and umbrageous groves of palm, 
acacia, and pepper trees. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Port Said — Railway to Cairo — To the Pyramids — Camel Train — 
Farmers at Work — Casting Seed Upon the Water — A Monopo- 
listic Sheik — A Hard Climb — On the Summit — Smelling Salts 
and the Arabs — The Shame of Cairo — A Street Sleeper — On to 
India — The Red Sea — Aden and the Divers — The Arabian Sea 
— The Harbor of Bombay. 

Port Said, according to the verdict of Rudyard Kip- 
ling, is the wickedest town in the world. "There is wicked- 
ness in many parts of the world, and vice in all, but the 
concentrated essence of all the iniquities and all the vices 
in all the continents finds itself at Port Said." What Dodge 
City was as the terminus of the Santa Fe railroad on our 
western plain, Port Said was, and more, during the con- 
struction of the Suez Canal. Both places have changed for 
the better, and Port Said now puts on airs of semirespect- 
ability, and is perhaps not beyond Paris in vice and iniq- 
uity. 

The railway from Port Said to Ismailia is built on the 
African side of the canal. To the west are the sand-bor- 
dered lakes of Bittir, where all the day long, over desert 
sand and salt water, play the most beautiful mirages in the 
world. At Ismailia the train stops for lunch, and then a 
long, dusty ride in a rumbling train, — over a hot, sandy des- 
ert, past Tel-el-Kebir, where the British army surprised the 
forces of Arabi and ended the war in Egypt, and where the 
Elder and I found ourselves after being lost on the desert 
and wading the salt marsh near the town, — brings us to the 

borders of the land of Goshen. How beautiful are the 

(204) 



THE GREAT PYRAMIDS. 205 

green fields after the desert. We enjoy things in this life 
by contrast, and if you want to enjoy the verdure of nature 
to the full, cross a desert first. At six in the evening the 
train rumbles into the station at Cairo, and after running 
the gauntlet of donkey boys and cabs we are again comfort- 
ably lodged in the Khedival Hotel, with the windows of our 
rooms facing the Ezbekiyeh gardens. 

Our second visit to Cairo, the one oriental capital of 
the world, enabled us to revisit with increased interest and 
profit many places of such importance that thousands of 
travelers from all parts of the world annually flock to 
Egypt to see and admire them. We saw again with re- 
newed interest the great pyramids of Gizeh, the sphinx and 
its ancient temple but recently recovered from its sandy 
tomb, Heliopolis with its lone obelisk marking the site of 
the City of the Sun where Joseph married his wife, the isle 
of Rhoda between the two banks of the Nile where Pha- 
raoh's daughter found and loved and saved the infant Mo- 
ses, the ancient tree under which Joseph and Mary rested 
with the "Babe of Bethlehem" when they fled from the 
wrath of Herod to the land of Egypt, the Egyptian Museum 
founded by Marietta Bey where lie in state the royal mum- 
mies of Rameses II., the Pharaoh of the oppression, his 
father Seti I., and his grandfather Rameses I., and mosques 
howling dervishes, streets and bazaars. 

A day was spent very pleasantly in an excursion to the 
great pyramids. I went along, for the more one sees of the 
pyramids the more he wants to see of them. Not that I 
cared to climb to the top of Cheops again, for one ascent is 
about all any one cares to make, but I wanted to look upon 
the great, dignified structure again and wonder, and admire. 
Hassan, the faithful coachman who took us out two years 
ago, was ready in the early morning with carriages, and our 



206 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



host of the Khedival stocked the lunch basket with abun- 
dant store of appetizing food. A delightful drive of seven 
miles through the streets of Cairo, across the great Nile 
bridge and thence over an excellent road, as level as a floor 
and densely shaded with acacia trees, brought us to the des- 
ert; then a strong pull up a steep, sandy road, and we are at 
the base of Cheops. 




A CAMEL TRAIN. 



On the way out we met long strings of camels, heavily 
burdened, making their way solemnly and silently toward 
the city. The animals walk single file and from ten to 
twenty are tied together with ropes. As we were passing 
one of these heavy-laden camel trains, the last camel, a 



EGYPTIAN FARMERS. 20/ 

frisky youngster, became frightened and ran around one of 
the trees on the border of the road. The train moved on 
and the rope around the neck of the young camel drew it 
tight against the trunk of the tree. For a brief moment it 
was a question as to whether the trunk of the tree, the rope 
or the camel's neck would be broken. The rope gave way 
and the problem was solved. 

The farming land, on both sides of the road, was nearly 
all covered with the overflowing water of the Nile, which 
was now rapidly receding. The higher ground was already 
above the water, and on this the Egyptian farmers were 
busily engaged in sowing wheat. The seed was scattered 
broadcast on the soft mud and was covered by dragging 
over it a pole to which were attached branches from the 
palm tree. Ropes were attached to the pole and two men 
did the dragging. The seed was covered by smearing the 
mud over it. Treated in this way the grain sprouts quickly 
in the hot sun, and in an incredibly short time the field is 
carpeted with verdure. At several places I saw men sowing 
the seed in the shallow water. In a few days the water re- 
cedes and the seed is covered by a deposit left upon it by 
the muddy water. It grows quickly and produces an abun- 
dant crop. From this custom, as old as the days of Moses, 
of sowing seed on the water is drawn the beautiful words of 
the wise man: "Cast thy bread upon the waters, and after 
many days it will return unto thee." 

"Cast thy bread upon the waters, 

Ye who have but scant supply, 
Angel eyes will watch above it; 

You shall find it by and by! 
He who in his righteous balance 

Doth each human action weigh, 
Will your sacrifice remember, 

Will your loving deeds repay. 



208 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



'Cast thy bread upon the waters, 

Ye who have abundant store, 
It may float on many a billow, 

It may strand on many a shore; 
You may think it lost forever, 

But, as sure as God is true, 
In this life or in the other, 

It will yet return to you." 




FARMERS AT WORK IN EGYPT. 



At some places, where it was highest, the ground had 
already become dry and hard, and it was necessary to turn 
it over before sowing the seed. Instead of using plows a 
number of Arabs armed with hoes were at work digging up 
and turning over the soil. Then the seed was sown and 
covered with the drag. 



THE PYRAMIDS. 



209 



Upon arrival at the base of Cheops you must deal with 
the sheik of the pyramids, who has a monopoly of the busi- 
ness. He furnishes you guides, for which service he charg- 
es you twenty-five cents. He will send two or three light- 
tooted Arabs with you, and you are expected to give each 
of these as much as the sheik received, of which, it is said, 




A HARD CLIMB. -PYRAMID IN EGYPT. 



he exacts a large percentage. He receives quite an income 
from the toll he gathers from those who climb Cheops. Our 
pilgrims prepared to make the ascent, and after much noise 
and confusion among the would-be guides and assistants 
they set off for the top, each accompanied by two nimble- 
footed Arabs. Having made the ascent once, we two re- 
mained comfortably seated in our carriage watching our 



210 GIRDLING THE GLOSE. 

companions toiling upward until they were lost to sight on 
the summit. The camera caught a picture of one of the 
pilgrims on the upward climb, and it is here reproduced so 
that my readers may know that pyramid climbing is hard 
work. 

The sellers of "antikas" are numerous at the pyramids, 
and you are importuned in the most persistent way to buy 
relics, which you are solemnly and positively assured were 
taken from the tombs of the Pharaohs. Here are scarabs, 
lamps, beads, small images of the ancient gods, and a hun- 
dred other things offered at prices to suit purchasers. The 
prices are fixed on a sliding scale, and are subject to vio- 
lent fluctuations, depending upon the merchant's notion of 
your ignorance of the real value of the object offered for 
sale. He will offer you a scarab for ten dollars, assuring 
you that it is four thousand years old. If you show no dis- 
position to buy he comes sliding down the scale until you 
are at last induced to take the thing for fifty cents, only to 
learn afterwards that you can buy all the scarabs of the 
same kind you want in Cairo at from five to ten cents each. 
These articles are manufactured and offered for sale, in 
these degenerate days, by a degenerate race, as real objects 
of antiquity, and so skillfully are they made that only an 
expert can detect the fraud. I bought a scarab for twenty- 
five cents and afterwards compared it with one that cost ten 
dollars, and it was impossible for me to detect any differ- 
ence between the two. 

Our carriage was the center of a crowd of merchants 
and curious Arabs, who came to sell and to see. My wife 
had with her a bottle of smelling salts. It had been pur- 
chased but recently, and emitted strong fumes of ammonia. 
She was using it cautiously for a slight headache. The 
descendants of Ishmael are exceedingly inquisitive and 



INQUISITIVE ARABS. 



21 I 



superstitious, and those who stood about us got the idea 
that the little bottle contained a charm against the cholera, 
which was raging in some parts of Egypt, and of which the 
natives are in mortal dread. They wanted to try the rem- 
edy, but at first none were bold enough to make the experi- 
ment. At length a fine-looking fellow, Ahmed by name, 




THE PILGRIMS ON TOP OF CHEOPS. 



came forward and took a strong, deep sniff at the bottle. 
The result was a surprise to Ahmed and bordered on the 
ridiculous. The Arab's head was thrown back, his eyes 
filled with tears, and there was a look of surprise on his face 
that always comes with the first unexpected experience. 
For a moment he was at a loss to know what had happened, 



212 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



and then recovering himself he warmly recommended the 
wonderful cholera cure to others with such success that a 
score or more were not satisfied until they took the medi- 
cine. It was an amusing incident and it is to be hoped had 
the desired effect. 

We walked around the pyramids and realized again 
something of their magnitude and dignity, and by the time 




MOUNTED PILGRIMS. 



our companions came down from the summit and explored 
the King's Chamber it was high noon. We ate our lunch in 
the shade of Cheops, grateful for the shadow of the great 
pile in a weary land. Then we looked at the Sphinx again, 
and the great granite temple between its paws. The pil- 
grims mounted the pyramid camels for the regulation ride 



IMMORAL CAIRO. 213 

over the sands of the desert and then, when the sun was 
sinking in the west and the shades of evening were coming 
down, we drove back to Cairo well pleased with the day's 
outing. 

Cairo is a great winter resort for Europe. It is said 
that not less than twenty-five thousand people from the 
North spend their winter here, and among this number are 
man)- Americans.. The fashionable hotels, notably Shep- 
heard's and the New Grand, where the charges range from 
four to twelve dollars per day, are crowded during the win- 
ter months with wealthy pleasure seekers, and immense 
sums of money are left in the city by her winter guests. 

The natives of Cairo, never noted for their good morals, 
are not, as one might suppose they would be, made better 
by this great annual influx of northern civilization. It 
might and ought to be otherwise. Is not northern Europe 
Christianized, and are not the most of these pleasure seekers 
professed followers of Christ? One would naturally sup- 
pose, at the point of contact between Islamism and Chris- 
tianity, that a marked improvement would result. And 
this is true when the Christianity is real and the Spirit of 
Christ pervades, but this is not, as a rule, the kind that 
comes to Cairo with millions of wealth on pleasure bent. 
The coffers of the hotelkeepers and merchants are filled, 
but resultant immorality and vice are the shame of the fair 
city. The harlot waits not for the darkness of night to 
cover her shame, but in the open daylight follows her voca- 
tion, soliciting patronage in the streets of the city. Girls of 
twelve, mere children in age, but old in sin and settled and 
fixed in a life of sin and shame, accost you on the thorough- 
fares of the city, and many there are who go after the ways 
of strange women. " Wheresoever the carcass is, there will 



214 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



the eagles be gathered together." The carrion and the 
vultures both abound in Cairo. 

Here is work for the earnest Christian missionary, and 
Dr. Watson and his noble band of workers are doing all 
they can to stem the tide of evil. But it is hard work. 
They must labor not only against the Moslem faith, but 




IN THE EZBEKIYEH GARDENS. CAIRO. 



against the immorality and sin of professed Christians. 
The task seems almost a hopeless one. And yet, in the 
end, the religion of Jesus must prevail. 

The condition of woman in Egypt is pitiable. She is 
as much a slave as ever were the negroes of our South. 
She has no rights that man is bound to respect, and is 
classed as an animal without a soul. Harlotry is semi- 



WOMAN A SLAVE. 



215 



respectable. The first thing to be done to better the con- 
dition of Egypt is to free the women. When the mothers 
and daughters are free, the first step toward the regenera- 
tion of Egypt will have been taken. No country can pros- 
per and rise to true greatness when women are held in 
bondage and are without voice, influence and respect. 




f — * ■ "*» i 

«' : 




A STREET SLEEPER. 



In front of our hotel is the park known as the Ezbeki- 
yeh gardens, containing a variety of rare and beautiful trees 
and shrubs and flowers. In the center of the garden is a 
beautiful lake. It is much frequented by invalids who 
spend the winter in Cairo for the sake of their health. The 
garden is surrounded by an iron fence and an ample side- 



2l6 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

walk borders the broad street. In the afternoon the 
place is thronged with visitors and the sidewalk outside 
presents a busy scene. Passing along one afternoon we 
noticed a bundle lying on the walk. Closer inspection re- 
vealed the fact that there was a man in it. He had laid 
his bed and himself down on the sidewalk, and using his 
mantle for a covering was enjoying an after dinner nap. 
His bed was a thin mattress composed of a couple of narrow 
quilts. This is a common sight in Cairo, for many people 
of the lower class sleep on the streets. Upon waking they 
take up their bed and go their way. Not only in Cairo, but 
in Jerusalem as well, have I seen men carrying their beds 
about the streets; and one is forcibly reminded of the Mas- 
ter's command to the palsied man, " Arise, take up thy bed 
and walk." * 

A visit to the bazaars in Cairo is always full of interest. 
The bargaining, the buying and selling and. manufacturing 
are carried on in the open street., and one may see and ad- 
mire as one passes along. The conflict between seller and 
buyer waxes furious, and you expect to see them come to 
blows, but it all ends peaceably. But the old, old custom of 
the buyer saying: " It is naught, it is naught; but when he 
is gone his way, then he boasteth," f is as common in all 
the Bible lands to-day as it was when the wise man wrote. 
I am of the impression that this habit of saying, " It is 
naught, it is naught," is not confined alone to the Orient. 
At one of the bazaars we witnessed the process of putting 
on a girl's arms rings which she had purchased from the 
dealer. One of the pilgrims gave his impression of the 
scene in these words: 

"While passing aiong the street we came in front of 



*Matt. 9:6. 
f Prov. 20: 14. 



DONKEY RIDING. 217 

one of the stores where the salesman was putting wristlets 
over a young girl's hand. As they were solid rings, the 
wonder to us was how he would get them over the hand, 
and yet fit tightly after they were on, so we halted to see 
the operation. Two were already on and he was placing 
the third one. This he did by squeezing the hand so hard 
that we thought he would unjoint the bones and smash the 
flesh. Then. placing the ring over the fingers and thumb, he 
poured oil over the hand, after which he caught the fingers 
with his one hand and with the other forced the ring over 
the bulk of the hand, and it was to its place. The opera- 
tion must have been very painful, as her facial expression 
indicated most excruciating suffering. We tarried until 
five rings were placed on her one wrist, and we were made 
to think, What a terrible tyrant ' Madam Fashion ' is, and 
what willing slaves the human kind are. How much sacri- 
fice and suffering for sin, — how little for Christ! Yes, you 
say, but these are heathen. Perhaps so, but we know and 
have seen professing Christians do more hurtful, silly and 
sinful things than these poor, untutored heathen do."* 

Donkey riding is one of the enjoyable pastimes in Cai- 
ro. The donkey boy, bright and shrewd, with his patient 
little animal, is everywhere present and always at your 
service. He will follow you for hours, driving the donkey 
at a gallop and never seems to tire. The donkey and the 
donkey boy are an institution of Cairo and nowhere will 
you find better donkeys or better boys to drive them. I 
spent many hours threading the narrow streets of the city 
on the back of one of these faithful little animals. 

Our fourteen days in Cairo were gone, and our pilgrim 
band was to be broken. Six months we had journeyed to- 
gether in three continents. Now brethren Rrnmbaugh, 

*Eld. H. B. Brumbaugh in Gospel Messenger. 



218 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



Myers and Bingaman were to turn their faces homeward, 
going by way of Alexandria and Naples to New York. 
Parting with friends is, under the most favorable circum- 
stances, not pleasant. When the separation comes in a 
strange land among strangers it is a most trying experience, 
and I thus characterize our parting at Cairo. In the early 




DONKEY RIDING IN CAIRO. 



morning we met in our room in the hotel. Brother Myers 
read the ninety-first Psalm, and then we all knelt down and 
in prayer commended ourselves to the keeping power of 
God. It was a sacred, solemn season, and while the tears 
would flow, we rose from our knees comforted and made 
stronger for what was pointed out as the path of duty. 



WATER WHEEL. 



219 



Then the farewells were said, and we parted, possibly to 
meet no more in this world. 

From Cairo we recrossed the land of Goshen passing 
through the cholera-infected city of Zagazig. The railway 
runs along the great fresh-water canal used for irrigating 
the land. At many places the water wheels, with the ox 
supplying the motive power, were in operation, lifting the 




WATER WHEEL, EGYPT. 



water to the level of the fields. In the evening we reached 
Ismailia where a day's wait was made for the arrival of the 
steamer for India. Here the unexpected happened — a 
heavy rainstorm in Egypt, and that too on the desert. It is 
such an unusual thing to have rain here that the houses are 



220 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. " - 

not built for such a contingency. The water came through 
the roof of the hotel, and we were compelled to change 
quarters a number of times in order to keep dry. The Suez 
and the fresh-water canals, furnishing abundant water for 
evaporation, have changed the climatic conditions on the 
desert. Where formerly rainfall was unknown it now occa- 
sionally occurs, and when it does rain it comes in torrents. 
At nine P. M. the steamer arrived, and we were soon on 
board and en route for India and home. 

The traveler who crosses the Atlantic Ocean at this 
season of the year (December) supplies himself with heavy 
winter clothing and makes every preparation to keep warm. 
He who journeys southward on the Red Sea and the Indian 
Ocean, bearing close down upon the equator, and continues 
his journey to India, desires the best methods to keep cool. 
In the midst of winter it seems odd enough to have a sweat 
pad under your hand to keep the perspiration off your pa- 
per while you write. Such was our experience on our 
southward journey. 

On the morning of Nov. 28, 1895, the " Caledonia," with 
nearly five hundred passengers, steamed out of the southern 
end of the Suez Canal and entered one of the notable seas 
of the Bible, whose waters opened for the safe passage of 
God's people, and closed as quickly upon their cruel task- 
masters and pursuers, overthrowing and destroying the host 
of the King of Egypt. From the entrance of the sea at 
Suez, to the Straits of Babelmandeb at Aden, where we en- 
ter the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, the distance is 
in round numbers fourteen hundred miles. This is the 
greatest length of the Red Sea, whilst its extreme width 
does not exceed two hundred miles. This body of water 
is the division line between Asia and Africa, and, lying 
between two great deserts, the temperature is very high. 



SUEZ. 22 1 

It is the hottest zone of sea and land on the globe, except- 
ing the Persian Gulf and the coast of Senegambia. Even 
in the winter months the mercury ranges as high as ioo de- 
grees in the shade. In midsummer the heat is simply 
frightful, and many who undertake the voyage at that sea- 
son of the year are overcome by the intense heat, and are 
buried beneath the waves of the sea. Just a few months 
ago a shipload of French soldiers was returning home 
from Madagascar by this route, and some thirty of the 
poor fellows were overcome by the heat and were buried 
at sea. 

At Suez we have the place where the Israelites passed 
through the sea, and not far away are the fountains, or 
wells, of Moses. I visited this place three years ago in 
company with Brother Lahman. It is supposed by some to 
be the bitter water of Marah where the Jews murmured, and 
they longed for the waters and fleshpots of Egypt. It is 
not a difficult matter to go back in the imagination thirty- 
three hundred years, and people these shores with the es- 
caping Israelites. Their slavery had been long continued 
and grievous to be borne, but at last their groanings and 
cries, forced from them by the severity of their bondage 
and burdens, came up before God and were heard, and the 
time of their deliverance had come. In the full hope of 
blessed freedom, six hundred thousand men, able-bodied 
and strong, besides the old and young, the women and 
children, stood on yonder shore. They had thus far es- 
caped from the land of bondage, and now they were shut in 
by mountain and sea. The Egyptian host pressed hard 
upon them, determined to recover their escaping slaves and 
take them into bondage again. To the sons of Jacob came 
quick despondency, superseding their high hopes. When 
all human help failed the Lord opened the waters of the 



222 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

sea, and his people passed through. The way of escape 
became the way of destruction to their pursuers. How 
these now silent shores and this dark, silent sea must have 
resounded on that spring day, so long ago, to the glad 
shouts of the victors, intermingled with the dying groans 
and curses of the drowning host! How the song of Moses, 
and the loud sounding timbrel in the hands of Miriam rang 
out over " Egypt's dark sea," for " Jehovah had tri- 
umphed, and his people were free." 

But while we meditate on these scenes the ship passes 
on, and Suez, the wells of Moses, and the place of crossing 
are left far behind. Before midday we pass the insignifi- 
cant port of Tor, to which a line of small Egyptian steam- 
ers carry passengers who wish to visit Mt. Sinai and do not 
care to make the desert trip. From Tor Mt. Sinai can be 
reached with camels in two days, and the dangers and fa- 
tigue of the long desert route may be, in part, avoided. 
The Sinaitic range of mountains is in full sight from the 
ship, but the Mountain of the Law, which is thirty-seven 
miles away, is hid from view by the intervening hills. But 
it is interesting to have a close view of the range of moun- 
tains from one of the peaks of which, amidst fire and smoke, 
and thunders and lightnings, the law of God was given to 
Moses. It has long been one of our desires to visit Mt. 
Sinai, but it is not likely that we shall ever see more of it 
than was visible from the deck of the " Caledonia " as we 
steamed down the Red Sea. 

The only other place of general interest on the Red 
Sea is the port of Jiddah. Here the Mohammedans land 
on their great annual pilgrimages to Mecca, the birthplace 
of the false prophet, which is sixty miles east. Jiddah has 
a population, including the small villages surrounding it, of 
about forty thousand. It has an interest peculiar to itself 



PORT OF JIDDAH. 223 

because it is one of the breeding places of the Asiatic chol- 
era. Shipload after shipload of pilgrims is landed here 
from India and other parts of Asia. They bring with 
them the germs of the disease, and at Jiddah and Mecca it 
becomes epidemic. The returning pilgrims carry with 
them the cholera germs to Egypt, Palestine, and Turkey 
in Europe, and as a result an outbreak of the scourge oc- 
curs on the continent. It would be a good thing if the 
pilgrimages were either entirely prohibited, or else placed 
under such sanitary regulations as would prevent the chol- 
era from being carried to all parts of the world. 

As we continue our journey southward, nearing the 
equator, the heat becomes intense, the mercury ranging 
from 85 degrees to 95 degrees in our staterooms. It is a 
difficult matter to keep cool. In the diningroom great fans 
or punkahs, as they are called, are swinging back and forth, 
making it more comfortable than it otherwise would be. 
We are now some two thousand miles south and eight thou- 
sand miles east of Chicago, and realize more than ever 
before that our planet is very large. I thought of the boy 
who had left his home for the first time and had traveled 
a hundred miles westward. When he came home he had 
much to say about what he had seen, but was most im- 
pressed with the bigness of the earth. One day he ex- 
pressed himself in these words, " I tell you, father, if the 
world is as large the other way as it is this, it's awful big." 
We have something of the same feeling; having traveled, 
at this writing, something like sixteen thousand miles 
since we left home, and having nearly as many more 
miles to travel before getting home again, we are im- 
pressed with the thought that the world is big. With 
the sense of the magnitude of the globe comes increased 



22-4 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

reverence for the Almighty Creator who made the heavens 
and the earth, and holds them in the hollow of his hand. 

On Sunday morning, Dec. I, we cast anchor at Aden, 
the coaling station for steamers going to India. No sooner 
is the ship at rest than it is surrounded with small boats 
filled with men and boys whose only clothing is a piece of 
white cloth wrapped about the loins. These are the pro- 
fessional divers of Aden. A dozen of them sprang into the 
water shouting, " Hab a dive, sir, hab a dive, sir? Throw in 
money, you plenty, me none." A dozen black heads are 
bobbing about in the water when a passenger throws a sil- 
ver coin into the sea. At once the heads disappear and 
twenty-four feet flash upward in the air and then go down 
after the heads. For what seems a long time, all is silent, 
then one by one the divers come to the surface, while one, 
more fortunate than his fellows, holds the coveted piece of 
silver in his hand, shouting in triumph, " Me hab him, sir." 
Then the shouting is renewed and the same scene is enact- 
ed over and over again. The divers climb up the ropes and 
clamber over the rail of the ship, and then, like a shot, go 
down into the water thirty feet below. They dive down- on 
one side of the ship and come up on the other, and as the 
"Caledonia" draws twenty-four feet of water and is about 
sixty feet wide, it is not an easy feat to accomplish. 

The merchants of the town came on board the ship, of- 
fering for sale ostrich feathers and plumes, tiger and leop- 
ard skins, baskets filled with the most beautiful sea shells, 
Arab spears and swords, with numberless trinkets of curious 
make and fine workmanship. These were pressed upon the 
passengers in the most persistent manner. The merchants 
were for the most part Jews, and they made every effort to 
sell their wares. The descendants of Jacob are scattered to 
the uttermost parts of the earth, and we never meet them in 



THE CALEDONIA. 225 

our travels without thinking how wonderfully the Lord has 
dealt with them, and how, in their dispersion, the Scriptures 
are so literally fulfilled. 

In a few hours we are off from Aden and passing 
through the straits. We took our course a little north of 
east for Bombay. A stiff breeze, known to seamen as the 
northwest monsoon, was blowing, but this made the voyage 
very pleasant. Indeed the entire journey from Ismailia to 
Bombay, with the exception of the hot days and nights on 
the Red Sea, was all that could be desired. A good ship, 
smooth seas, a balmy breeze and good companionship fell 
to our lot all the way. 

The " Caledonia " is the largest and best ship of the 
Peninsular and Oriental Company. The ventilation is as 
nearly perfect as it is possible to be made. Great funnels at- 
tached to pipes and portholes force the fresh air into all parts 
of the boat, and there is none of the peculiar bilge-water 
smell so common on many of the Atlantic steamers. The 
staterooms and cabins are large and handsomely furnished. 
Instead of the box bunk, iron bedsteads with wire mattress- 
es are used, and they are very comfortable. The appoint- 
ments of the ship are in every respect most excellent. In a 
word, the " Caledonia " is a perfect model of all that mod- 
ern skill and money can do in shipbuilding. 

We secured second-class cabins and found them most 
comfortable, while the food was all that could be desired. 
At half past six in the morning coffee, or tea, as you pre- 
ferred, was brought to the staterooms. At half past eight 
we had breakfast in the large dining-saloon. The dinner 
hour was fixed at one o'clock. Then at four P. M. there 
was tea and biscuits for those who desired them, and at half 
past six came the supper hour. An abundance of well- 



226 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

cooked and most excellent food was served, while fruit was 
to be had at all of the meals. 

We found in the second cabin a very respectable and 
congenial class of people. They were exceedingly well be- 
haved and very kind and sociable. Indeed, from our own 
personal experience, we do not hesitate to say that, as a 
rule, much more sociability is manifested among the sec- 
ond-cabin passengers than those of the first. Of course, in 
the first cabin, on board an East India steamer, will be 
found more of the aristocracy of wealth and title than on 
the Atlantic, and people of this class are exclusive. At our 
end of the ship there was a social, friendly feeling among 
the passengers that helped to make the time pass pleasant- 
ly. Several of the first-cabin passengers spent a good deal 
of time with us, and one of them expressed her pleasure 
and said, " You do enjoy yourself here. At the other end 
of the ship we all try to see who can dress the finest and ap- 
pear the grandest." 

The expense of traveling in the East is much higher 
than in the West. From New York to Bremen, by the best 
steamers of the North German Lloyd, second-cabin passage 
cost us sixty dollars, and the distance is three thousand, 
five hundred miles, whilst our tickets from Ismailia to Bom- 
bay, the distance being a trifle less, were one hundred and 
sixty-five dollars apiece. 

We had in our company some thirty missionaries, all of 
them on their way to India to labor among the heathen. 
Some of them had spent many years in India and had been 
at home on furloughs, and were now returning to their work 
again. Others had left home and friends for the first time, 
and were going into untried fields to labor for the uplifting 
of a nation of idolaters. We formed the acquaintance of a 
number of missionaries who had worked in India manv 



QUAKER MISSIONARY. 227 

years. We made the best of our opportunities and learned 
some things about mission work among the heathen that 
may be helpful to us in our fields of labor in the future. 
And those with whom we talked very kindly gave us much 
valuable information of a practical kind, which we prize 
very highly indeed. 

The same evening we went on board the steamer at Is- 
mailia one of the passengers approached us and asked 
whether we were not members of the Society of Friends. 
We soon learned that he was a Quaker missionary, Mr. T. 
by name, sent out by the Friends of England. He and his 
wife had been in India six years, and were returning from 
their first furlough. He told us of the successes and the 
failures, of the encouragements and discouragements of the 
missionary. He also gave us an insight into the life and 
character of the people of India, which we very much ap- 
preciated. We also met Miss Carroll, of Joliet, Illinois. 
She had spent a year and a half at home, and was returning 
to her work among the women in Bombay where she had 
spent five years. She had been reading about our travels, 
and said she thought she knew us when we came aboard the 
ship. We felt quite at home with each other at once, and 
formed a very pleasant acquaintance with her and her trav- 
eling companion, Miss Dart, of Kansas City, who was going 
to India as a medical missionary. 

At ten in the morning some forty of the passengers 
met in the lower dining-saloon where an hour was spent in 
Bible readings. To us these exercises were always enjoy- 
able and profitable. They were opened and closed with 
singing and prayer. On the great deep it was good to 
study God's Book, and to commit and commend our all to 
the keeping power of him who holdeth the winds and sea in 
his hands. 



228 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

We had in our Bible class Quakers, Methodists, Presby- 
terians, Baptists, Episcopalians, Salvation Army officers, 
and those of our own faith. While these different denom- 
inations were all represented there was no clashing of opin- 
ion. In one thing they had a common bond of union. 
They had all left their homes to labor among the heathen, 
and for the time they were thrown together on board the 
ship they made the most of their agreements and the least 
of their differences. 

Among the second-cabin passengers was Booth Tucker, 
of the Salvation Army, Gen. Booth's son-in-law. He at one 
time had a lucrative position as India Commissioner under 
the British government. He resigned his place and began 
preaching to the natives. Ten years ago he was arrested 
for marching and preaching in the streets of Bombay. The 
judges sentenced him to a term of imprisonment at hard 
labor, and then called him before them and said they would 
commute his sentence if he would promise to give up 
preaching on the streets. His answer was characteristic of 
the man: "If you were to put a rope about my neck and 
threaten to hang me the next minute I would not give up 
my work." He served out his sentence and then went to 
preaching again. He tramped through the country bare- 
foot, dressed in native costume, and told the people the 
story of the Cross. He speaks twelve languages and has 
gone all over India, east and west, north and south, and 
is perhaps better known among the natives than any other 
man in the country. As a result of his persistent labors, 
thousands of the heathens gave up idol worship and ac- 
cepted his teaching. Zeal, earnestness, and self-sacrifice 
are characteristic of the man, and without these qualities 
no one can succeed in mission work. 

As alreadv stated, we had much conversation with Mr. 



REFUSED TO DANCE. 229 

T., the Quaker missionary, not only in regard to missionary 
work, but as to the progress being made by the Society of 
Friends. As we hold alike to peace principles, plain dress- 
ing and some other points, we had some things in common 
to draw us together. I noticed that Mr. and Mrs. T. did 
not wear the well-known Quaker form of dress, and he in- 
formed me that the English Friends had entirely given up 
the form, but insisted very strongly on plain dressing, plain 
speech and plain living as Bible principles. In answer to 
the question, "Since you have given up the Quaker form of 
dress, how has your society succeeded in maintaining plain 
dressing?" he said, "The question is somewhat difficult to 
answer; there are always some who go to extremes, and we 
can hardly restrain them." It was apparent that in giving 
up the form the principle went with it. 

At this juncture of the conversation the wife of the 
missionary came up and joined us. She was dressed quite 
as fashionably as any of the lady missionaries on board the 
steamer and wore three gold rings, one of them with a 
small diamond set. Further talk on the subject I found 
was embarrassing to them, but Mr. T. explained that the 
rings were gifts from very dear friends and were worn as 
keepsakes. On another part of the deck some of the 
young people were dancing, and a young man came to 
where we were and invited Mrs. T. to join them. She de- 
clined, and when he had gone away she said rather indig- 
nantly, "What did he mean by asking me to dance? What 
does he take me for?" Then after a moment's thought she 
said, "Well, I am very sure of on 2 thing; if I had been 
dressed in the good old Quaker garb I should not have 
been asked to join the dancers." And here our conversa- 
tion closed. 

The days of our voyage on the Arabian Sea passed 



23O GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

away like a dream. The weather was fine, the ship one of 
the best, the company agreeable, the days clear and bright 
and the nights delightfully cool and pleasant. And now, 
on the morning of Dec. 5, in the distance is to be discerned 
the dim outline of the coast of India. At 1 1 A. M. we cast 
anchor in the harbor of Bombay and another of our long 
sea voyages is ended, as is also this chapter. 



CHAPTER IX. 



A Welcome to Bombay — A Modern City — The Parsis — Firewor- 
shipers — " The Restaurant of the Vultures" — Towers of Silence — 
Old Bombay — The Bazaars — Full feweled Women — Excessive 
fewelry — Rings in the Ears and Nose — Rings on Fingers and 
Toes — Pan Chewing Versus Tobacco. 

We were not to land at Bombay without first having a 
warm greeting and a hearty welcome to the land of Hindu- 
ism. Brother W. B. Stover, in charge of the mission at Bul- 
sar, bronzed by the heat of India's sun came on board the 
"Caledonia" and bade us welcome. We were rejoiced to 
see him. When last heard from he was lying in the hospital 
sick with a fever. His illness was of a very serious charac- 
ter, and as we had not heard from him for a month we were 
all the more anxious to see him. As may be imagined, our 
meeting was a pleasant one. The Lord had raised our 
brother up, and we rejoiced and gave God thanks. Brother 
Stover took charge of us. Entering a steam launch, we 
were taken ashore. With a mere formal examination our 
baggage was released by the custom house officers, and we 
were taken to Mrs. Brigg's Temperance Hotel, where we 
spent several weeks very pleasantly. 

The traveler who comes to Bombay for the first time is 
sure to be surprised. He has read of the city and knows 
that not far from a million souls dwell within its borders, 
and that in some respects it equals some of the more preten- 
tious capitals of Europe and the United States. But some- 
how in his mind he associates Bombay with India, and In- 
dia with heathendom, and he is not prepared for the fine 
(233) 



234 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

modern city — more English than oriental — which he enters 
upon landing from the steamer. 

This was our experience. We had in mind the straw- 
covered mud huts of the natives, and the lack of civilization 
among the people of which we had so often read. These 
things are so largely dwelt upon by imaginative writers that 
we were not prepared for what we saw. We landed on a 
handsomely constructed stone pier, with custom house ar- 
rangements almost perfect and much more convenient than 
we have in New York. The native officers speak English 
fluently, and are polite and accommodating. In a very 
short time we are through the customs and on our way to 
our hotel. We pass through broad, shaded avenues and 
streets with handsome buildings on both sides, and with a 
street railway system equal to the best at home, for it is 
owned and operated by an American company. Then there 
are beautiful architectural designs in which is found a pleas- 
ant mixture of the Swiss and Hindu style. Among the 
larger buildings are the magnificent railway station — the 
pride of India, and well it may be, for one sees nothing to 
excel it either at home or abroad, — the university, with its 
great clock tower, the courts of justice, the town hall, the 
general postoffice, the government buildings, and scores of 
other structures with a happy blending of different styles of 
architecture. Revisiting India after many years' absence, 
Sir Edwin Arnold said, " I left Bombay a town of ware- 
houses and offices; I find her a city of parks and palaces." 
This of the New Bombay, for there is the older native city 
where the tide of " Asiatic humanity ebbs and flows " day 
by day, which we hope to visit and describe hereafter. 

Bombay, as already intimated, contains a population of 
nearly a million, and these are divided as to religious belief 
about as follows: 



THE PARSIS. 23/ 

Hindus, 560,000 Christians, 50,000 

Mohammedans, 60,000 Jains, 30,000 

Parsis, 50,000 Jews, 6,000 

The rest of the population is composed of Buddhists, 
Brahmans and smaller subdivisions of the Indian family. 
Placing the population in round numbers at one million, it 
will be noticed that only one in twenty is set down as a 
Christian, and we are told by the missionaries that many 
of these are Christians only in name. How apparent it is 
from these facts that but little has as yet been done toward 
the conversion of this great gateway to India, and that 
many years must elapse before the three hundred million 
heathen in this land will accept the "Light of the World" 
as their Savior! 

As a rule one is apt to speak first of what impresses 
him most, and so first of all I give an account of what 
most impressed me in Bombay, — the people known as the 
Parsis. It is always difficult to write of a people with whom 
we have but slight acquaintance, and especially is this 
true when the writer is wholly unacquainted with their lan- 
guage. Generalizing from a few facts is not safe. It does 
well enough when it hits the truth, but it so often misses 
that the careful writer hesitates to use it too freely. Fortu- 
nately for me, the Parsis speak English fluently and are al- 
ways ready to speak of their belief. Then I have had some 
opportunity to study their peculiar belief, having read years 
ago the Sacred Books of the East. 

Among the various classes of native people one meets 
on the streets of Bombay the Parsis are by all odds the 
most interesting. They dress better, are better educated, 
are well to do, many of them being very wealthy, speak 
English fluently; and it may be said that they are the peers 
of any class in India, The men wear clothing, made 



238 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

somewhat after the prevailing European styles, over which 
is put on the sadora, or sacred shirt, of white cotton gauze. 

The head is covered with a peculiar shaped stiff hat, or 
cap, without brim or rim. The women are dressed in 
flowing robes, with the bright colored sari, a strip of cloth a 
yard wide and six yards long, thrown over the head and 
shoulders. These are of all the colors of the rainbow, with 
rose, saffron, olive, seagreen, sapphire, and many other 
bright tints added. A group of Parsi ladies presents a 
gorgeous picture on the streets. Their glossy black hair, 
literally as black as the raven's wing, covered in part with a 
close fitting white cloth, their fair complexion, — they are as 
white as many of the Caucasian race, — and their finely-cut 
features, make them a handsome people. 

The Parsis formerly inhabited Persia, and are the mod- 
ern followers of Zoroaster. They are commonly known as 
fireworshipers and hold to one of the ancient religions that 
have come down to modern times. The Zend-Avesta, their 
sacred book, is traced back to 600 B. C, and Zoroaster is 
believed to have lived about the same time that Moses led 
the Israelites out of Egypt. His followers hold the four 
elements— fire, air, earth and water — sacred, but fire is the 
most sacred of all. The sacred " fire is never to be allowed 
to go out. Its altar must be kept pure; it is a heinous sin 
to pollute the sacred element in any way whatever." Ev- 
erything good is to be worshiped, and prayers are offered to 
human souls, animals, vegetables, springs of water, rivers, 
mountains, the earth, the sun, the sky, the moon and stars, 
and other things without number. Evil prevails, but finally 
it shall be overcome and slain. " Then comes the perpetu- 
ation of life. The fair creation that had been slain by the 
fiend revives; the good live in a renovated world; and 
everlasting joy prevails.' 




Parsi Girls. 



PARSI FUNERAL. 24 1 

When the Persian empire was overthrown by the Sara- 
cens, A. D. 650, the Zoroastrians were persecuted and a 
number of them fled to India, where they found protection, 
but were more or less persecuted until the English occupa- 
tion. The British government protects all religions alike. 
It may be stated as a curious fact that the Queen of 
England has more Mohammedan subjects than the sultan of 
Turkey. The fireworshipers number now about sixty thou- 
sand and form an important factor in Bombay. 

The Parsis' belief that fire, earth and water are sacred 
elements, leads them to a peculiar method of disposing of 
their dead. As soon as the spirit has fled, the body is con- 
sidered unclean, so unclean indeed that to burn it would 
render the fire impure, and to bury it would pollute the 
earth. They therefore expose the bodies of their dead to 
be devoured by birds of prey. To us the very thought 
seemed disgusting, even horrible, but long usage makes it 
all right to the Parsis. 

In the environs of Bombay is an eminence known as 
Malabar Hill. The wealthy Parsis of Bombay own several 
hundred acres of land on the summit of the hill. It is a 
garden-like park and is open only to the Parsis and to those 
who can secure admittance from them. It is green with 
ferns, and the palm and other tropical vegetation grow 
luxuriantly. In this park are the Towers of Silence, " the 
restaurants of the vultures," as Hawthorne calls them. 
Having received permission to visit the park, Brother 
Stover and Miss Carroll accompanied us. While we waited 
at the entrance a funeral arrived. The dead was laid upon 
a stretcher, covered with a white cloth, and borne on the 
shoulders of four men, known as the " carriers of the 
dead," their sole business in life being their present occu- 
pation. After the bier came a number of Parsi men, all 



242 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

dressed in white, walking in procession, each pair holding a 
white handkerchief between them. A flight of eighty stone 
steps ascends the hilltop. As the procession slowly wended 
its way upward, the vultures, anticipating their horrid feast, 
flapped their broad wings and sailed overhead. The body 
was taken to one of the towers and laid on the iron grating 
prepared for it. The procession turned away to worship at 
the fire temple near by, and the vultures began their work. 
In half an hour it was done. The bones, entirely bare, are 
left to lie in the sun a few days, when the " carriers " with 
gloved hands take iron tongs and throw the bones into the 
deep well in the center of the tower. The carriers are a pe- 
culiar class; they are unclean and do not mix with other 
Parsis in social intercourse. After touching the bones, even 
with iron tongs, they must purify themselves and cast away 
their garments. 

We were not allowed to enter the place until the pro- 
cession came out. The Parsis do not want the shadow of 
an unbeliever in their religion to fall upon their dead. At 
the upper gateway we were met by an attendant who 
walked with us about the grounds. We found beautiful 
gardens full of flowers, with shaded walks, quiet retreats 
and pleasant nooks where one might sit in quiet solitude 
and meditate without a single reminder of the close prox- 
imity of the grim towers. Coming to within thirty feet of 
the largest tower the attendant stopped and said, " No one 
goes nearer except the carriers of the dead." We learned 
that the largest tower is two hundred and seventy-six feet 
in diameter and thirty feet high. Eight feet from the 
ground is a doorway to which the carriers ascend by a 
flight of steps, and then they go to the top by other steps 
on the inside. On the edge of the wall of the tower were a 
r.core or more huge vultures resting in expectation of the 



TOWERS OF SILENCE. 245 

next procession, while at least a hundred of these same foul 
birds of prey were perched on the tops of the palm and 
tamarind trees within the enclosure. We turned away from 
the sight with a sickening feeling, and went toward the fire 
temple and funeral buildings. We were not allowed to en- 
ter, but could see the inner altar upon which the sacred fire 
was burning, — the fire which every faithful Parsi believes 
was brought down from heaven by Zoroaster himself. It is 
watched day and night by priests, and is fed with sandal 
wood. The buildings are of stone with low roof. The in- 
terior is provided with seats. There are also metal vessels 
containing water for the washing of the mourners before 
prayer, and for the cleansing of the carriers of the dead. 
Gongs are used to give the signal for the various parts of 
the ceremony, which are said to be very elaborate. As on- 
ly Parsis are admitted to these last rites of the dead, we saw 
nothing of them. 

Our aged attendant very kindly explained to us every- 
thing connected with the place. He showed us a small 
wooden model of the largest tower. The inside plan of 
the building resembles a gridiron, sloping inward and 
downward to the pit or well in the center, which is five feet 
in diameter. Between the circular wall, which encloses 
tke well, and the outer wall of the tower are two other cir- 
cular walls at equal distances from the inner and outer 
walls. From the center are radiating walls dividing the 
space into compartments. The outer and larger recepta- 
cles are used for men, the second for women and the inner 
or smaller for children. The well in the center into which 
the dry bones are thrown, is connected with four deep 
drains at the bottom of the tower. Through these the rain 
water collected in the center escapes, carrying with it the 
bones as they rapidly crumble to dust. The fluid passes 



246 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

through charcoal and is disinfected before it runs into the 
sea. A ladder affords a means for the carriers of the dead 
to go down and remove obstructions from the opening to 
the drains, if it becomes necessary. The dust in the well, 
it is said, accumulates very slowly. In forty years it rose 
only five feet. In this way the Parsis dispose of their dead, 
as they believe, without contaminating the earth, fire or 
water. 

Just before we entered the grounds in which stand the 
grim, gloomy and silent towers, there came a carriage in 
which were two Parsi women. They came by where we 
were sitting, and the broken sobs spoke of a broken-hearted 
wife or mother who had come to weep in solitude for the 
loved and lost. We could not keep back the thought that 
there must be but little consolation to come to a place like 
this to weep, and we were not surprised to learn that the Parsi 
women very rarely come to the silent towers to shed tears. 
In our beautiful cemeteries we can sit by the graves of our 
sainted dead, and while we weep we have the glad consola- 
tion that Jesus, our Savior, was laid in the tomb, that he 
burst the bars of death and came forth victorious over death 
and the grave; and that we, with our sleeping dead, shall 
come forth in like manner in the glad resurrection morning 
with a glorified body, and so dwell with the Lord forever. 
But what sentiment but that of horror can the Parsi wife or 
mother feel in the presence of these gloomy towers where 
their loved ones are torn by foul birds of prey? 

Thus are we impressed by the vultures gorging them- 
selves to stupor on human flesh and whitening the walls of 
the tower with droppings of digested humanity. But how- 
do the Parsis feel about it? They have a precept which 
says, "The rich and the poor must meet in death," and they 
literally carry this out in their method of disposing of their 



OLD BOMBAY. 247 

dead. The dust of the millionaire cotton manufacturer of 
Bombay, who lives surrounded by all the luxury that wealth 
can afford, and that of the poor inmates of the Parsi asy- 
lum, dependent upon the charity of others, here find a com- 
mon receptacle. The Parsis also believe in the resurrection 
and that the bodies here dispersed will come forth again. 
In the arrangement of the park nothing has been left un- 
done which would induce calm and quiet meditation. 
Shade trees abound, and flowers bloom everywhere. The 
height of the hill and the proximity of the sea insure a 
cool, pleasant breeze. Here the relatives of the deceased 
may sit and meditate upon the certainty of death. After 
looking at all these pleasant surroundings the horrible 
thought of the vultures tearing the flesh from the bones of 
the dead comes back, and we dismiss the subject, thanking 
God for the humanizing influence of the religion of Jesus 
Christ. 

The native city, or Old Bombay, as it may be very ap- 
propriately called, is in striking contrast with the new town 
briefly described above. It has the characteristics of all 
oriental cities, but, with wider, better, cleaner streets, and 
more orderly people, it is in advance of the native portion 
of the most Eastern capitals. The natives are kindly dis- 
posed, gentle in demeanor and respectful to strangers. 
They have the reputation of being quiet, peaceable and 
orderly, except when aroused by race or religious prejudice. 
Between them and the quarrelsome, yelling, fanatical Turk 
and Arab, found in many parts of Asia Minor, there is a 
striking contrast, with the advantage all in favor of the gen- 
tle Hindu. 

To me it was a source of constant interest and pleasure 
to wander about the streets of the native city and visit, with 
the missionaries, the homes of the people. Thus, by com- 



248 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

ing in contact with the Hindus in their home and street 
life, in three weeks more was learned of their mode of liv- 
ing and habits of life than could have been ascertained in 
any other way. 

In the bazaars, — the streets on which all kinds of goods 
are sold, — one never tires of wandering about and seeing 
sights strange to the Western eye. Here are flashes of bril- 
liant color, and scenes of lively animation, to be witnessed 
nowhere but in India. The little, den-like shops on both 
sides of the street, with the dealer sitting in the midst of his 
curious merchandise, patiently but anxiously awaiting a cus- 
tomer, are always a sight worth seeing. Then there are 
crowds and crowds of Asiatic humanity, especially after the 
heat of the day has passed, when everybody seems to be 
out of doors. People, young and old, great and small, men, 
women and children, some in gay-colored dresses, "but 
most with next to none at all," are coming and going in 
constant streams. I said to Brother Stover, "Surely the 
people of Old Bombay all live on the streets," and the re- 
mark was quite in line with the truth. Here, in open shop 
and veranda, on sidewalk and street, the native Indian does 
a hundred things openly that we do indoors in the United 
States. The carpenter, the chair-maker, the furniture-mak- 
er and the shoemaker all have their shops in the open air. 
The gold and silversmith, who fashions the ornaments so 
dear to the hearts of the barbarous and half-civilized peo- 
ple, — with shame it must be added, and many professing 
Christians, — skillfully plies his trade before the multitude. 
You may see him making chains for the head and neck, 
bracelets for the arms and ankles, and rings for the toes, 
ears and nose. The barber shaves and shampoos his cus- 
tomer on the sidewalk, the baker mixes his flour and bakes 
his bread in full sight of his customers, the weaver throws 



LAND OF DREAMS. 25 1 

his shuttle and rolls up his web of cloth in the broad glare 
of sunlight, and so the work and the crowd move on until 
night, with but brief twilight, falls quickly upon the city. 
Then thousands of the moving mass, covering themselves 
with their loin-cloths, lie down on the street to rest and 
sleep away dull care. Passing through these same streets 
in the early morning one may see the people making their 
simple toilet in the open air and getting ready for their 
day's work. 

"This is indeed India. The land of dreams and ro- 
mance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splen- 
dor and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pesti- 
lence, of genii and giants and Aladdin's lamps, of tigers and 
elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of a hun- 
dred nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions 
and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace 
of human speech, mother of History, grandmother of Leg- 
end, great-grandmother of Tradition, whose yesterdays bear 
date with the mouldering antiquities of the nations — the 
one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an im- 
perishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for 
lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond 
and free, the one land that 'all' men desire to see, and, 
having seen once by even a glimpse, would not give that 
glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the globe com- 
bined."* 

In hot climates where winter is unknown, the natives 
wear but scanty clothing, and this is true of central and 
southern India. Even the common demands of decency 
are often neglected, and in many places one of the first 
cares of the missionary is to get the people to wear a prop- 
er amount of clothing. It is not so much a question of 

* Clemens. 



252 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

kind as of quantity. Children until they are six or seven 
are commonly seen without clothing; a cord or sometimes a 
white metal chain, with a charm attached, is fastened about 
the waist. When they are older clothing is worn, but this 
is only a cloth for the loins, and among the very poor little 
more is ever worn, even in coldest weather. As the mer- 
cury rarely falls below sixty-five degrees, they do not suffer. 
The wealthy class wear very thin and often very rich cloth- 
ing. 

Shoes and stockings are never worn by the common 
people. Sandals are sometimes used, but the rule is to go 
without cover for the feet or the lower limbs, except among 
the females, who wear many rings. It is not an uncommon 
sight to see women with the lower limbs literally covered 
with rings or bands from the ankle to the knee. Among 
the poor the ankle rings are made of brass, and, taken to- 
gether, those worn by one woman weigh from eight to ten 
pounds. The bands do not fit tightly, but rest loosely one 
on top of the other. I have often seen women stop by the 
wayside, gather a few leaves and tuck them under the lower 
ring where it rested on the foot, to keep it from cutting into 
the flesh. It is, of course, a great inconvenience, but it's 
the fashion, and she only does what millions of her more 
enlightened sisters do in Europe and America, — suffers the 
inconvenience for the sake of being in the fashion. The 
arms, from elbow to wrist, are in like manner covered with 
bracelets or bands of metal, glass and ivory. Then the ears 
are pierced all around the outer rim and half a dozen rings 
are worn in each. The nose, too, must bear its burden of 
ornament. Great rings, dangling over the mouth, hang 
from the nasal organ. The completion of bodily ornamen- 
tation is only reached when each of the fingers and the 
thumbs and the ten toes are all supplied with rings. This 



WEARING OF JEWELRY. 253 

may all seem like exaggeration, but it is only a plain state- 
ment of facts witnessed a thousand times and more since I 
have been in India. If further proof is desired, turn to the 
photogravure on page 255. The camera has reproduced for 
us two full-jeweled Indian maidens. The Sari thrown over 
the head covers the ears so that the rings are not in sight. 




GOLDSMITH AT BOMBAY. 



A close inspection will reveal two of the ear jewels on the 
figure to the left. The bangles are on the forehead, the 
earrings and the nose rings are in place. About the neck 
and throat are the beads and the silver and gold necklaces. 
The fingers, the wrists and the arms come in for their full 
share of ornamentation, and the ankles and toes are made 
to bear a burden of silver rings, bands and chains that must 



254 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

be a great inconvenience to the dusky daughters of India. 
But it is the fashion, and the matter of inconvenience is 
never questioned either in India or in America when fash- 
ion's mandates go forth. What a tyrant fashion is and 
how it has enslaved the whole world! 

The love for ornaments reaches its highest limit among 
the lower classes and the ignorant idol worshipers. The 
educated and wealthy wear jewelry in great profusion and 
of immense value, but are more moderate as to quantity. 
Indeed such is the love of display along this line that polit- 
ical economists give, as the main cause of the poverty exist- 
ing in India, money spent for jewelry. Speaking on this sub- 
ject one authority says: "India has been called the grave of 
the precious metals. It now absorbs about one-fourth of 
the gold and one-third of the silver produced throughout 
the world." According to the last census there were four 
hundred and one thousand, five hundred and eighty-two 
goldsmiths in India. This vast army of workmen are con- 
stantly engaged in melting gold coins and shaping them 
into curious ornaments for their customers. The only gold 
coins I have seen in India were those I brought with me 
and these, after being exchanged for silver rupees, went in- 
to the goldsmith's pot. 

In view of this inordinate desire among the people all 
over the world for ornaments, it is no wonder that the Holy 
Scriptures contain a positive injunction against wearing 
gold and pearls for bodily adornment. And yet how many 
professing Christians there are who pay no heed to this 
plain, sensible commandment! Even missionaries who are 
sent out to lead these people to the lowly Man of Sorrows 
come wearing jewelry. What an example they give to their 
poor, heathen sisters! If this letter comes to the notice of 
any of these jewelry-loving missionaries I beseech them by 



1 




Full Jeweled. 



PAN LEAF AND BETEL NUT. 257 

the mercies of God to lay aside their rings and jewels, that 
they may the better lead the heathen away from idolatry 
One said to me not long ago: "The reason why Christianity 
is not more readily accepted here is because so many 
Christians give such bad examples." 

Speaking of customs brings us to another very peculiar 
habit seen all over India. Walking through the streets I 
noticed that many of those whom I met had their lips and 
teeth colored as with blood. I soon learned that this was 
caused by chewing pan, which answers to the opium habit 
of China and the tobacco habit in the United States, though 
it is but fair to say for the heathen that pan is not so inju- 
rious as either opium or tobacco. 

I stop at one of the little, box-like shops where the 
dealer is busily engaged in serving his numerous customers 
with a "chew." He has by his side a large quantity of 
green pan leaves about the size of the leaf of the oak. Tak- 
ing one of these in his hand, he places in the center of it a 
small quantity of slaked lime from a tin can at his side. 
Then he puts on the lime a small portion of the betel nut 
with cinnamon, cardamus and other spices. The leaf is 
then carefully folded over these ingredients. The folds are 
held together on top by a clove inserted like a pin. The 
little package, about the size of a large fig, is taken from 
the dealer and goes into the mouth of the chewer. The 
saliva at once becomes red, and gives the chewer's lips and 
teeth the repulsive and frightful appearance of a blood- 
drinker. When I first saw them I felt sure that each one 
had taken a mouthful of blood. It is said pan is a tonic 
and hence good for the health. The spices make it aromat- 
ic and slightly astringent to the taste, while the lime mixed 
with the juice of the pan leaf and betel nut turns it to the 
color of blood. Great splotches of red saliva from the 



258 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

mouths of the chewers are to be seen on the sidewalks and 
about their houses, reminding one of our tobacco chewers at 
home. The fact is that in a choice between the two, tobac- 
co or pan, I should prefer the latter, even if it is a heathen 
custom. It gives the breath a pleasant odor, and is not 
nearly so filthy as tobacco. Then, too, the heathen can ex- 
cuse its use on the ground that it is healthful, while tobacco 
is known to destroy the nerves and to produce evil effects. 
Yes, we turn away from the Christian (?) tobacco chewer to 
the heathen pan muncher. 

Pan chewing is a national custom in India, and every- 
where among the natives it is offered to guests, and it is 
considered rude not to accept it. Europeans and Ameri- 
cans are excused on the ground of nationality. During our 
first week in Bombay, wife visited some Hindu ladies, and 
she brought home with her the pan which she could not, ac- 
cording to the rules of politeness, refuse to take. Neither 
of us felt like chewing it. Bishop Heber, the Indian mis- 
sionary, tried pan chewing. In his diary, June 24, 1824, is 
found this entry: "I tried chewing pan to-day and thought 
it not unpleasant; at least I can easily believe that where it 
is fashionable people may soon grow very fond of it. It is 
warm and pungent. My servants fancy it is good for the 
teeth; but they do not all take it. I see about half the crew 
without the stain on their lips; but I do not think the teeth 
of others are better." 

Americans and Europeans rarely, if ever, acquire the 
habit of chewing pan. They regard it disgusting to appear 
with lips and teeth stained red. This appears, after all, to 
be simply a difference of taste as to color. We know many 
Americans who do not object in the least to having their 
lips and teeth stained yellow with tobacco juice, and their 
breath made offensive by the noxious weed. Surely great 
is the o-od of habit! 



CHAPTER X. 



Stability of Customs in India — ■ The Sacred Animals — Worshiping the 
Cow — Bathing — The Hindus' Love for Animals — To Bulsar — 
The Cocoanut Toddy — Monkeys by the Way- — Our Mission He me 
— A Good Work by a Noble Band of Workers — Hinduism — 
Caste — The Rajah and his Cabinet — High Caste Woman — Low 
Caste Woman — The Degradation of Idolaters. 

To the westerner the land of the Orient is not only a 
source of great interest but of surprises as well. Here he 
comes in contact with an entirely new, or, rather, an old 
world, for he is surrounded by a semi-civilization, the foun- 
dations of which are rooted in the Aryan invasion of India, 
which took place three thousand years before the discovery 
of America. He realizes at once that he is among a people 
whose traditions, activities and lines of thought are wholly 
different from his own. He is quite at a loss — unless he has 
made himself acquainted with the history and religious 
thought of the people — to account for the strange scenes 
about him. If he has traveled in Palestine and Egypt be- 
fore coming to India, he is somewhat prepared for the 
striking contrasts that meet him. But western enterprise is 
changing the aspect of the former countries. The popula- 
tions are small, hence easily affected. But India, with her 
three hundred million, does not change, and, practically 
speaking, western influence, aided by the missionaries, has. 
made but little impression upon her population. 

Animal life is held sacred by the Hindus, hence they 

are vegetarians. They believe in transmigration, or that 

after they leave the body they now live in they will bj 
(259) 



260 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

transferred to that of some animal. This belief makes them 
especially kind to all animals, for they say, " How do we 
know but that some of our ancestors, even our father or 
mother, may now be living in the body before me." But of 
all animals the cow is held to be the most sacred, and is 
actually worshiped by all orthodox Hindus. They teach 
that, when the class known as the Brahmans was created, 
the cow was also made to supply sustenance to man by her 
milk and butter for the burnt offerings to the Creator. It is 
also claimed that the cow is the mother of the gods. Her 
five products — milk, butter, curds, and the excreta — are 
held in high veneration and even worshiped. 

I have seen a Hindu, when meeting a cow in the morn- 
ing, which is always regarded as a sign of the very highest 
good fortune, place both hands upon her back with much 
apparent affection and reverence, and then rub them over 
his face and breast. After putting the palms of his hands 
together and bringing them with the thumbs touching the 
forehead, he would bow the head reverently and repeat one 
of the mantras or prayers, of which Arnold's translation is 
given: " Hail, O cow! Mother of Rudra, daughter of Vasu, 
sister of the Aditya, thou who art the source of Ambrosia." 
Indeed so sacred have cows become in the eyes of the 
orthodox Hindu that to kill one is considered a greater 
crime than for one to slay his own father or brother, and 
some years ago an offense of this kind was punished by 
death. 

As an illustration of the worship of this animal, the fol- 
lowing incident is given: The widow of the last ruler of 
Nagpore spent twelve hours daily in the adoration of cows, 
the tulsi plant, the sun, and her idols. When her end was at 
hand, five cows, in order to be bestowed on the priests, were 
introduced into the room where she lay. The gift of the 



IGNORANT IDOLATERS. 26l 

animals was accompanied by a further donation of money, 
and as the cows one after another passed onward from the 
bedside, they were supposed to help the dying woman for- 
ward on her way to heaven. Among the last acts of her 
life was that of calling for a cow and falling at its feet. As 
far as her waning strength would allow her, she offered it 
grass to eat and addressed it by the venerated name of 
mother. 

Some years ago, when reading the Zend-Avesta, the 
Vedas, and other so-called sacred books, or bibles of the 
East, it seemed impossible for the mind to accept the ex- 
travagant statements made in them with reference to the 
worship of the cow and the veneration accorded to her ex^ 
creta. Now these very things are seen every day, and 
many of them are so revolting in their nature that they can- 
not be described here. And yet there are some writers who 
would have us believe that Hinduism is to be compared 
with the Christian religion. Something more will be said 
on this subject of comparative religion later on. Now we 
can only say, God pity these ignorant idolaters, and put it 
into the hearts of his people to help lift them out of their 
ignorance and bring them to embrace the religion of Jesus 
Christ. 

Several conditions, resulting from animal worship,' are 
to be spoken of in words of commendation. The Hindus 
are very kind to animals and take good care of them. The 
cows that are driven about the streets and milked at the 
doors of customers are regularly bathed. In Bombay I 
watched with interest the process of bathing. About fifty 
of the animals had been gathered at a large tank full of 
clear water, and the herdsmen bathed them with as much 
care as a mother would bathe her child at home. The head, 
the ears, the nose, the mouth, the legs and feet all came in 



262 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

for a due share of careful attention. After much rubbing 
and scrubbing and washing, a great quantity of water was 
poured over the animals, and the bath was completed. In 
this way they are kept scrupulously clean, and being well 
fed are sleek and fat. They present an inviting appearance, 
and one in striking contrast with the way some of our 
dairy cows are kept at home. In this warm climate the 
bath must be very grateful to them. At least they take it 
with patience and evident comfort. 

Space is taken for but one more pleasing phase of the 
Hindus' love for animals. They provide homes for them, 
where they are fed and cared for when they are injured or 
become old and worn out. While in Bombay, at a later 
date, we visited a place of this kind and found a remarkable 
collection of lame, blind, wornout animals of various kinds 
— cows, oxen, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, monkeys, etc., etc. 
There were also many feathered fowls, some with broken 
wings and legs, wounded presumably by some Christian (?) 
sportsman and left to suffer and die until found by a 
humane Hindu and brought to this place to be fed and 
cared for. I thought of the cruelty practiced by some of 
our friends at home in pigeon shooting and wished they 
might learn a lesson from these heathen. The attendant 
"who showed us around the place was intelligent and polite, 
and, after asking us to register our names, did not fail to 
point out a strong box with a slot in the top where contri- 
butions might be placed. 

But the time has come to leave Bombay. We might 
stay here longer, and write and write, but we have not yet 
met sisters Stover and Ryan, and they are anxiously await- 
ing our coming. We therefore arranged to go to Bulsar on 
the 16th day of December. The latter place is located on 
the Bombay and Baroda railway, one hundred and twenty- 



TODDY DRINKERS. 263 

five miles north of Bombay. Leaving the city, the line 
passes for some distance along the seashore and close by 
the " burning ghaut," the place where the Hindus burn the 
bodies of their dead, a description of which must be given 
in another chapter. We also pass Malabar Hill, and we 
think again and again of the gloomy " towers of silence," 
with great vultures perched about them awaiting in silence 
their awful meal. 

After leaving the city the general aspect of the country 
is flat and level, with low hills in the far distance. In some 
respects it reminds us of our western prairies, but the simi- 
larity embraces only the level surface. The plain is dotted 
here and there with native villages composed of very low 
mud huts, covered with rice straw. The land is laid out in 
numberless squares and irregular shapes, varying in size 
from about an eighth of an acre to a small plat but a few 
feet square. These are separated by narrow ridges a foot 
and a half high. In these little plats the farmer plants his 
rice when the rains come, and it grows for some time in the 
water. The ridges keep the water on each patch separate 
and also prevent the washing of the ground. 

Then there are the cocoanut, the date and the palmyra 
palms, with their long, slender trunks and crowns of feath- 
ery foliage waving gracefully in the balmy air. Cocoanuts 
in various stages of development are to be seen on the trees, 
while the palmyra palms are marked and numbered and 
taxed by the government like our distilleries at home. 
Each tree produces every day about three quarts of a white 
liquid, resembling in taste and appearance the milk in the 
cocoanut. It is quite sweet when first taken from the trees, 
but in a few days it ferments and becomes a very strong in- 
toxicant. Great quantities of " toddy," as it is called, are 
drunk by all classes of the natives, and drunkenness is quite 



264 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

common. But this is not to be wondered at, for many of 
their gods are represented as being addicted to strong drink, 
and by some it is held that indulging in intoxicants to ex- 
cess is pleasing to them. How a belief of this kind would 
gladden the hearts of Christian (?) distillers and brewers 
and saloonkeepers in Europe and the United States! 

As we continue our journey northward, occasionally a 
monkey may be seen by the roadside, and farther north 
still, at Ahmedabad, as Arnold says, troops of them are vis- 
ible, as they scamper from the track on both sides of 
the train. At a short distance they stop and curiously 
scrutinize the passing cars. There are hundreds of them, 
and they may be observed from the windows of the train, 
walking meditatively ahead on the rails, jumping over the 
cactus fences, perching with long drooping tails upon the 
branches of the trees, or solemnly assembled on some open 
field in a grave congress, discussing the next plundering ex- 
pedition. They steal and destroy much fruit and grain, 
but the natives rarely ever molest them, for they worship 
the monkey god Hanuman, and to them these great apes are 
sacred. 

At 9: 30 P. M. we reached Bulsar and had a joyful 
meeting with our dear missionaries. Doubtless no one of 
the five of us who were present at that meeting will ever 
forget it. Tears of joy were shed and grateful hearts 
thanked the dear Lord that we were thus brought together 
in far-away India. A number of the friends of our mission- 
aries came with them to meet us, and as it was night we 
formed a kind of procession with lanterns and torches, and 
so walked together to the mission home. 

Bulsar, the location selected by our missionaries for 
their work, is a city of about fifteen thousand inhabitants, 
situated in the Bombay Presidency, one hundred and tvven- 



MISSION WORK IN INDIA, 265 

ty miles north of the capital of the district. The language 
spoken, is the Gujerati. We are of the opinion that, when 
all the conditions are considered, a good selection of terri- 
tory was made. The climate for at least one-half of the 
year is delightfully pleasant. During the day we sit on the 
open veranda and read and write. At night it is cool 
enough to make light blankets comfortable. This is all the 
more pleasant as we read letters from home telling of snow 
and snowdrifts and of zero weather. In a location free 
from malaria Bulsar may be called a healthy place, and 
after those who come here are acclimated they enjoy as 
good health as at home. Were it not for some home 
interests that demand our personal attention we should 
very much like to remain here. 

In the mission home we spent six weeks most pleasant- 
ly and happily. It was a real joy to be with this devoted 
band of Christian workers. The days passed away all too 
soon for us. They are now a memory, but are always re- 
called with much pleasure and satisfaction. 

I was deeply impressed with the great importance of 
our mission work in India. The conviction that the church 
will not be held blameless if she neglects her part in the 
great work of rescuing India from idolatry and winning her 
for Christ, has grown many times stronger since I have seen 
the people bow down to images made of wood, clay and 
stone. I am especially pleased to say that our missionaries 
are doing well. They have won the love and esteem of all 
with whom they have come in contact, and this promises 
well for their success when they are ready to preach Christ 
to the people. They are studying hard and are making 
rapid progress in acquiring the language. 

Many important problems will have to be met and 
solved as the work progresses in India, but these will be 



266 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

met and solved as they arise. The religion of Jesus Christ 
is not local in its character, but is adapted to meet the 
wants of the whole world. National characteristics and 
customs, dependent upon climatic conditions, so long as 
they are not in conflict with the Gospel, should not be inter- 
fered with. It may even be necessary to modify to some 
slight extent our church government, to meet the exigencies 
of the case. Those who are converted from idol worship 
cannot, until they are educated and lifted out of their igno- 
rance, intelligently exercise the right to vote in the congre- 
gations. But, as already intimated, these various conditions 
will be met and settled in accordance with the Gospel as 
they arise. 

Our mission in India gives us an increased interest in 
the people whom we are assisting in leading away from 
idolatry, and its consequent degradation, to the worship of 
the true and living God. Many of my readers do not have 
access to books containing information about India and 
its people, and therefore the rest of this chapter will be de- 
voted to the subject of " The People of India, their Beliefs 
and Form of Worship." The Hindu comes first in the list. 

Of India's three hundred million* souls, by far the 
largest number are worshipers of the gods of Hinduism; 
and so numerous are their gods that Umbalal Desai, a high- 
caste Brahman and teacher of the high school at Bulsar, 
said to us: " There are three hundred million people in 
India, and there is a god for each." Before speaking of 
their gods, however, we refer to the curse of India, Hindu 
caste. 

The word " caste," meaning " race," was used by the 
Portuguese, who were the first Europeans to trade with 
India, to denote the classes into which the people were di- 

*In the absence of exact statistics these figures are given approximately. 



BRA H MANS. 269 

vided. The word was changed by English writers into 
caste, and this term is now universally used when referring 
to Hinduism. Caste is so closely bound up with the relig- 
ion of India that it seems impossible to separate them. 

There are four great castes or divisions of the people in 
India, and these again are subdivided into numerous smaller 
classes. The great castes are 

1. The Brahmans, or priest class, who are said to have 
issued from the mouth of Brahma, the Hindu god, at the 
moment of creation. Their business is to read and teach 
the sacred books, and to offer sacrifices for themselves and 
others. They are held to be the chief of all created beings, 
and it is claimed that the lower castes enjoy life through 
them. From this caste came the rulers of the land, the 
petty kings, rajahs and princes. Their power is now very 
much circumscribed by the English, but at one time they 
ruled according to their own will. A picture of one of the 
rajahs and his cabinet is given, and they make up a group of 
fine-looking men. 

2. The soldier class are said to have sprung from the 
arms of the god. They bear arms and administer the laws 
made by the Brahmans. The executive government is 
vested in the soldier caste alone. 

3. The merchant caste came from the thighs of Brah- 
ma. They are to engage in trade, keep cattle, cultivate the 
soil and loan money at interest. They are the Hindu busi- 
ness men. 

4. The Sudra, or servant class, are believed to have 
come from the feet of Brahma. They are not to be held as 
slaves, but as servants of servants. They are to serve the 
classes above them, and especially the higher caste. They 
cannot accumulate or own property, and their condition 
cannot be changed or improved. The Sudra women do all 



27O GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

kinds of manual labor, and are to be pitied. I have seen 
them in groups on the streets with irons in their hands, 
hard at work tamping the fine stone and clay so as to make 
the street solid and firm. It is hard work. See page 275. 

From the Rig Veda, the book the Hindus call their bi- 
ble, the following quotation is made, showing the origin of 
caste. Speaking of Brahma it says, 

"What were his arms, and what his thighs and feet? 
The Brahma was his mouth, the kingly soldier 
Was made his arms, the husbandman his thighs, 
The servile Sudra issued from his feet." 

There is still another class, known as Pariahs, or out- 
casts, that is without caste. They are the most degraded of 
all the people in India. None of the four castes will hold 
any communication with them. Food is defiled if the shad- 
ow of a Pariah falls upon it. All those who violate their 
caste fall into the low class, which the Hindu mind regards 
as the depth of vileness. If a man and woman of two dif- 
ferent castes should marry, they may under severe penalties 
hold their caste, but their children are doomed to become 
outcast Pariahs. 

As before noted, these classes are again subdivided into 
numerous castes. The British census report for 1881 gave 
no less than nineteen thousand and forty-four caste names, 
and these were entered in the order of their relative impor- 
tance, beginning with the Brahmans and ending with the 
Pariahs or outcasts. Were it not for the fact that these fig- 
ures are taken from the official report, one might doubt 
their being correct. As it stands, it shows how hopelessly 
India is divided by caste. 

One cannot remain long in India without seeing the ef- 
fects of caste. It is one of the great hindrances to mission 
work. It builds a wall of separation between the different 




Hindu Girl. 



LAWS OF CASTE. 273 

classes that keeps them from all social intercourse. It 
dries up all human sympathy, and is directly in opposition 
to the great Christ-given doctrine of the fatherhood of God 
and the brotherhood of man. At home we have some idea 
of caste as it exists between the white and black races in 
the South, but that is but a shadow of the power of castes 
as it is felt in India. Here it is observed with the strictness 
of a religious rite and enforced by the severest penalties. 
It determines, with all the power of an unreasoning tyrant, 
every Hindu movement, from the day of his birth until he 
is laid on his funeral pyre, and even here it reigns, for the 
burning of his body and the disposition of his ashes are sub- 
ject to the iron rule of caste. 

The statement of Dr. Wilson, an authority on this sub- 
ject, will give our readers an idea of how the laws of caste 
regulate all the actions of life among the Hindus. Caste 
has ordained for infancy, youth and manhood methods of 
"sipping, drinking and eating; of washing and anointing; 
of clothing and ornamenting the body; of sitting, rising, re- 
clining; of moving, visiting, traveling; of speaking, reading, 
listening and reciting; and of meditating, singing, working 
and fighting. It has its laws for social and religious rites, 
privileges and occupations; for education, duty, religious 
service; for errors, sins, transgressions; for intercommunion, 
avoidance and excommunication; for defilement and purifi- 
cation; for fines and punishments. It unfolds the ways of 
committing what it calls sins, accumulating sin and putting 
away sin; of acquiring, dispensing and losing merit. It 
treats of inheritance, possession and disposition of property; 
and of bargains, gains, loss and ruin. It deals with death, 
burial and burning; and with commemoration, assistance 
and injury after death. It interferes, in short, with all the 
relations and events of life, and with what precedes and fol- 



274 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

lows or what is supposed to precede and follow life. It 
reigns supreme in the innumerable classes and divisions of 
the Hindus, whether they originate in family descent, in re- 
ligious opinions, in civil or sacred occupations, or in local 
residences; and it professes to regulate all their interests, 
affairs and relationships. Caste is the guiding principle of 
each of the classes and divisions of the Hindus, viewed in 
their distinct and associated capacity." 

Whilst the rules of caste thus enter into all the simplest 
and most minute details of life, there are four general rules 
that are held more important than others, and these have all 
the force and power of a sacred law, and may be classed as 
follows: 

i. Intermarriage between persons of different castes is 
strictly prohibited. This rule also enforces child marriage 
and prohibits widows from remarriage. A man may marry 
as many times as he likes, a woman but once. 

2. Restrictions as to the kind of food to be eaten, and 
its preparation by cooks who must be of a caste not lower 
than those for whom they cook. Dry food and fruits may 
be eaten together; but if these be cooked they come under 
caste rules. Brahmans, being the highest caste, may cook 
for all others. 

3. Those of different castes must not eat together, 
neither must water be accepted by a high from a low caste 
person. Pariahs or outcasts are excluded from eating ex- 
cept among themselves. 

4. The castes are prohibited from engaging in any oc- 
cupation except that which falls to the different classes. 
The sons follow the occupation of their fathers and are not 
allowed to change at will. 

These iron rules fix a man's lot in life in India, and he 
is absolutely helpless to change or alter it. It destroys all 




- 



CASTE DESTROYS. 277 

hope and ambition to better the condition in life, and it di- 
vides the people into so many classes, and separates them 
so completely that there is but little unity of action among 
them. England, with her sea-girt islands and comparative- 
ly small population, rules India's three hundred millions to- 
day, because caste makes unity impossible. Were it not for 
this pernicious system, with its twin sister idolatry, India, 
with her vast population and her infinite resources, might 
be, and would be, one of the leading nations of the world. 
As it is, she is ruled by a handful of men who are not al- 
ways alert for her best interests. 

Well might Bishop Heber say, "The caste system 
tends, more than anything else the devil has yet invented, 
to destroy the feelings of general benevolence, and to make 
nine-tenths of mankind the hopeless slaves of the remain- 
der/' 

An English author* of note and authority recognizes 
the fact that the British rule in India depends upon caste. 
He says: "Its action tends to arrest progress, to paralyze- 
energy, to crush manly independence, to stifle healthy pub- 
lic opinion, to make nationality, patriotism, and true liberty 
almost impossible. . . . And certainly the antagonism of 
these caste associations has helped us to govern the country 
by making political combinations impracticable ." 

But worse than all these, caste distinction alienates men 
from the true God and makes the task of lifting them out 
of ignorance and idolatry, and leading them to Christ, a 
most difficult one. 

It would be but an easy matter to fill a volume with in- 
cidents showing to what extent caste controls the Hindus 
in their relation to each other and in their dealing with 
strangers. Only a very few instances can be given in the 

*Sir Monicr Williams. 



278 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

space allotted. When making purchases at the shops, the 
Hindu tradesman, instead of handing you the money that is 
due you in change, drops it into your hand. If the high- 
caste shopkeeper should but touch the hand of a customer 
of a lower caste he would at once become impure and un- 
clean. I noticed this peculiarity many times in dealing 
with the natives. 

In drinking from a vessel the liquid is poured into the 
mouth in a constant stream, so that the lips do not become 
polluted by coming in contact with a cup, bowl, or glass, 
that may have been touched in manufacture, or sale, by one 
of a lower caste than the drinker. If you would know how 
difficult it is to take water in this way, try it as we did, and 
you will learn that drinking from a vessel is much more de- 
sirable than pouring. 

In the home men and women of different castes must 
be engaged to do different kinds of work. At Bombay the 
men who made the beds and swept the rooms and cleaned 
the shoes could not be induced, by any means, to empty the 
jar into which the wash water had been thrown. This was 
the work of a lower caste man, and this work he did every 
morning. It required four different persons to do the 
chamber work. As a result of this senseless system of 
caste there is a small army of servants about the hotels. 

One of the missionaries relates an amusing phase of 
caste rules. His Hindu servant would carry tea and toast 
to him in the morning when he was sick, but when a boiled 
egg was wanted some one else was required to bring it. 
The boiling and eating of an egg implied to the Hindu the 
premature death of a prospective chicken, and to him that 
would have been a most serious offense. He drew the caste 
line, and, as a result, the Hindu brought the tea and toast, 
followed solemnly by another servant with the egg. 



CASTE A VIRTUE. 279 

At one of the missions, during a heavy rainstorm, the 
roof of one of the houses fell in and covered up a number 
of low caste men. The missionary plead all in vain for 
help from those who passed by. No one would lend a hand 
to help the poor fellows out. "We cannot without violat- 
ing our caste," they said, and went their way, wholly indif- 
ferent to the sufferings of their fellows; and so the poor 
men remained under the roof at least an hour before low- 
caste men could be secured to help them out of the wreck. 
It must not be thought that the Hindus are not hospitable. 
So far as the rules allow they are exceedingly kind and gen- 
erous. But caste is a sufficient excuse for not giving help 
to a lower or an unknown caste. 

Bishop Heber gives the following illustration: A 
traveler falls down sick in the street of a village, — a real 
occurrence, — nobody knows to what caste he belongs, there- 
fore nobody goes near him, lest they should become pol- 
luted. He wastes to death before the eyes of the whole 
community, unless the jackals take courage from his help- 
less state to finish him a little sooner, and, perhaps, as hap- 
pened in the case here alluded to, the children are allowed 
to pelt the poor fellow with stones and mud. 

The extreme selfishness of caste, as here illustrated, is 
admitted freely by the Hindus themselves. Selfishness is 
made a kind of virtue. You may judge a people by their 
songs and proverbs. One of the many Hindu proverbs 
inculcates selfishness in this way: 

" Preserve your wife, preserve your pelf, 
But give them both to save yourself; 
There's other wealth, another wife, 
But where is there another life?" 

How different is this from the teaching of our Savior, 
"He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it," and, "If 



280 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

any man would be my disciple, let him deny himself, take 
up his cross and follow me." Surely we should thank God 
for the pure, holy, unselfish life and teachings of Jesus, our 
blessed Savior, and thank him, too, with full hearts, that 
the lines did not fall to us in this land of idols and caste 
distinctions. 

One of the almost insurmountable difficulties in the 
way of the missionary is the caste system. He finds it even 
more firmly fixed in the hearts and lives of the people than 
idolatry itself, and it may be said to be a great part of their 
religion. Some missionaries sought success by admitting 
caste into the congregations of their converts, but the)' sig- 
nally failed. 

It seems entirely unreasonable to us, but to the Hindu 
it is a great birthright, for caste depends upon birth alone. 
No possible condition of merit or true worth avails. One 
of a higher caste may be degraded and sink into a lower 
order, but there is no royal road for ascent. To be born a 
Sudra is to be a servant for life. The gods have so decreed, 
and so must it be. Between each caste in the ascending 
scale an impassable gulf is fixed. You might as well, and 
with far better hope of success, talk to an orthodox Brah- 
man of changing his sacred cow into a horse or an elephant, 
as to speak of making a soldier or merchant of the servant 
class, or a Brahman priest of any one of a lower caste than 
himself. The educated Brahman may have a purpose in all 
this, for one of their own number who renounces Hinduism, 
says, "Caste is the bulwark of Hindu idolatry, and the safe- 
guard of Brahmanical priesthood." 

India caste is the logical result of such social and class 
distinctions — born of pride, rank, and wealth — as are so 
rapidly gaining ground in our own country. It is, after all, 
only a less exaggerated form of class division which to-day 



HOW SHALL THIS EVIL BE MET? 28l 

separates and alienates people in Europe and America. 
The "Four Hundred" of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, 
and Boston, the aristocracy of wealth and accidental birth 
all over the country, with its exclusive social conditions, 
and its selfish, arrogant assumption, which says: "I am bet- 
ter than thou," and the race question in the South are all 
born of the caste principle. And these conditions need be 
carried only a little farther at home until an impassable gulf 
is fixed between the classes as in India, "so that they which 
would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass 
to us that would come from thence." 

The important question is, How shall this great evil be 
met and overthrown? It will be a Herculean task, and it 
will take time. We believe the only antidote for the per- 
nicious and poisonous system, as it exists in India and as it 
is growing at home, is the self-denying religion of Jesus 
Christ. His teachings, fully accepted and lived out in the 
lives of his followers, will most assuredly destroy all class 
distinctions except those based on true worth and merit. 
The Gospel teaches the common brotherhood of all men, 
that . out of one blood God made "all nations of men to 
dwell on the face of the earth," that we all are brethren, and 
that there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, high 
nor low, rich nor poor, " for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." 
Caste distinction and all differences born of human pride 
have no place in the religion of Jesus Christ. On the con- 
trary it forbids all such things and will overthrow caste and 
unite all peoples. 



CHAPTER XI. 



Idolatry in India — The Fascination of Idol Worship — 77/,? Degrada- 
tion of the People — Different Sects — The Mark on the Forehead — 
Branding the Body — ■ The Daily Service Rendered to the Idol — 
Saktism a Synonym for Sensuality — Animal Worship — The Hin- 
dus' Love for Animals — A Strange Case of Suicide — 77z^ Wor- 
ship of Snakes — 77z<? Monkey God — Plant and Tree Worship. 

In closing the last chapter it is said that the religion of 
Jesus Christ will overthrow caste. It will do much more 
than this for India. It will not only destroy caste and unite 
the people on the plane of a common love for humanity, 
but it will make impossible the system which makes caste 
possible. The idolatry of India will disappear, the worship 
of the true God take its place, and the root of caste be de- 
stroyed. 

Before coming to India I had heard much, and read 
more, about idols and the idolatry of the people; but the 
half has never yet been told. Neither can it be told. Such 
is the degradation to which idolatry has sunk many of the 
people of India that it cannot, for the sake of common 
decency, be put into print. It dazes the mind, and one is 
led to exclaim: " Is it possible that men and women can go 
down so low in degradation and depravity as these have 
gone? " They have " changed the glory of the uncorrupt- 
ible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to 
birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Where- 
fore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust 
of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between 

themselves." This strong language of Paul, with the verses 

(282) 



IDOLATRY A CHARM. 283 

that follow, depicts the depraved state of idolatrous Rome, 
but the depth of degradation found here is not described by 
the inspired writer. 

In the short time we have been in India we have seen 
much of the idolatry of the people. We have visited many 
of the temples where images of wood, clay and stone are 
worshiped. We have seen the Hindu prostrate himself be- 
fore his gods and offer sacrifices to them. And we have 
seen some of the depravity and obscenity of idol worship, 
but we desire to call other witnesses to give testimony. 

The eminent Sanscrit scholar and missionary to India, 
M. A. Sherring, who spent thirty years among the Hindus 
and knew their sacred books, the Vedas, well, says: " Idol- 
atry is a charm, a fascination to the Hindu. It is, so to 
speak, the air he breathes. It is the food of his soul. He 
is subdued, enslaved, befooled by it. The nature of the 
Hindu partakes of the supposed nature of the gods whom 
he worships. And what is that nature? According to tra- 
ditions handed about among the natives, and constantly 
dwelt upon in their conversation, and referred to in their 
popular songs, — which, perhaps, would be sufficient proof, — 
yet more especially according to the numberless statements 
and narratives found in their sacred writings, on which these 
traditions are based, it is, in many instances, vile and abom- 
inable to the last degree. Idolatry is a word denoting all 
that is wicked in imagination, and impure in practice. 
Idolatry is a demon — an incarnation of all evil — but never- 
theless as bewitching and seductive as a siren. It ensnares 
the depraved heart, coils around it like a serpent, transfixes 
it with its deadly fangs, and finally stings it to death." 

Another eminent authority on Hindu idol worship has 
these severe words upon the subject. His party was travel- 
ing in the Madras Presidency, and they came to a temple or 



284 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

" pagoda whose high tower is a revolting sight. It is, in 
fact, a mass of obscenity cut in stone, such as one could 
hardly imagine depravity itself capable of inventing. Yet 
this is part and parcel of the religion of Brahma, that relig- 
ion upon the excellency of which some Sanscrit professors 
expatiate! One sight of this temple at Cocanada would 
suffice to disabuse them of their fine pictures of Hinduism 
and of the elevating power of the Vedas. A few pet quota- 
tions are always at hand when one would praise Brahman- 
ism. They are, in the oldest Vedas, grains of wheat in 
bushels of chaff. If we would learn what the Hindu relig- 
ion really is, and what are its practical fruits, we must visit 
the temples of India." 

To enter fully into the subject of Hinduism, with its in- 
numerable idols and symbols, would be the work of years, 
and require volume upon volume of printed matter; and yet 
the missionary who would successfully meet and overthrow 
Hinduism must fully acquaint himself with its religious 
teachings and its philosophy. In a brief way it may be said 
the Hindus have three principal gods, known to them as 
Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Siva the de- 
stroyer. The last two, with their wives and sons, are the 
principal deities worshiped, and from these come all the 
gods of Hinduism. 

In a general way Hindu worshipers may be divided in- 
to five classes or sects: 

1. Those who worship Siva, classed under the general 
name of Saivas. 

2. Worshipers of Vishnu, who are known as Vaish- 
navas. 

3. Worshipers of the wives of the deities or femaie 
energy, called Saktas. 




Ganesa, the Elephant-headed God. 



GANESA. 287 

4. Worshipers of Ganesa or Gan-pati, designated by 
the name of Ganapatyas. 

5. The sun worshipers or Sauras.* 

These different sects use the same so-called sacred 
books, and from the foregoing list come the great multitude 
of gods and idols which hold India in a bondage of the 
worst possible description. It has been stated after a most 
careful estimate that there are three hundred and thirty 
million idols worshiped in India. This vast number seems 
quite incredible, but, after visiting the bazaars in different 
cities where idols made of brass and bronze of all sorts and 
sizes are exposed for sale, and having seen others made of 
clay, moulded by the potter's hand, and still others of wood 
and stone, we are ready to accept the statement. 

We have in our possession a number of these idols or 
images. One of them, Ganesa, or Gan-pati, has a human 
body disfigured with the head of an elephant. The accept- 
ed history of how this strange thing occurred will show the 
character of the gods of the Hindus and also of the igno- 
rance and superstition of the people who accept as inspired 
such silly stories. It is said that when Ganesa was born, 
his father, Siva, suspected the chastity of the goddess, his 
wife, and in his anger cut off the boy's head. Afterward, 
convinced of his spouse's innocence, he repented his rash 
act, and taking the head from an elephant placed it on his 
son. 

Krishna is another popular god among the Hindus. 
His uncle cruelly slew all his brothers and sisters, and he 
was saved only by being exchanged by his mother for a 
shepherd's child. When the boy grew to manhood he slew 
his uncle. Such are the stories told and accepted in full 
faith by these simple-minded, ignorant, idol worshipers. 

*Sir Monier Williams. " Brahmanism and Hinduism," 



288 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

And these might be multiplied indefinitely. Many of the 
stories told are unfit for publication. 

The Hindus have the curious custom of placing upon 
the forehead a distinguishing mark of their sect or of the 
god they worship. These marks are of different colors, 
bright red, yellow and white being oftenest used. Ashes 
are used, and the coloring matter is mixed with these. The 
marks are placed on the forehead in the morning after bath- 
ing, and remain there all through the day. The marks of 
the worshipers of Vishnu consist of an upright bar made 
with bright red and yellow colors, while that of the Saivas 
is three horizontal strokes made with white ashes. There 
are some seventy of these marks used, most of them, how- 
ever, are placed on the arms and shoulders. " The face 
marks are the fewest and most striking. These consist of 
spots, circles, triangles, straight lines, curved lines, cres- 
cents, simple and in combination, and of varied colors." 

In addition to the marks made with colored matter, 
many of the worshipers of Siva and Vishnu brand their 
breasts, arms, and other parts of their bodies with distinctive 
emblems of their sect. Such marks are burned in the flesh 
with red-hot stamps, sometimes made of gold. The sym- 
bols of Siva are the trident and linga; while those of Vishnu 
are the dicus, the club and the conch-shell. . The photo- 
gravure shows a group of high-caste Hindus, three men and 
their wives and a small boy. The face markings are plainly 
shown on the forehead, the women being marked as well as 
the men. It will be observed that they also wear the ear 
and nose jewels. It is an interesting picture, as it shows the 
costumes of this class of people. 

The worship of Siva requires considerable work on the 
part of those who attend to it. Dr. Mitra, quoted by Wil- 
liams, is authority for the following description of this kind 



TWENTY-TWO CEREMONIAL ACTS. 29 1 

of worship. A slab or block of uncarved granite was used 
as the idol. Blocks of stone are set up and painted red and 
worshiped. We have seen hundreds of idols of this kind 
worshiped by the Hindus. The daily worship consists of 
no less than twenty-two ceremonial acts. 

1. At the first appearance of dawn bells are rung to 
rouse the deity from his slumbers. 

2. A lamp with many wicks is waved in front of the 
stone. 

3. The god's teeth are cleansed by pouring water and 
rubbing a stick about a foot long on the stone. 

4. The deity is washed and bathed by emptying sever- 
al pitchers of water on the stone. 

5. He is dressed by placing clothes on the stone. 

6. The first breakfast is offered, consisting of grain, 
sweetmeats, curd and cocoanuts. 

7. The god has his principal breakfast when cakes and 
more substantial viands are served. 

8. A kind of a little lunch is served. 

9. The god has his regular lunch. 

10. The midday dinner is served, consisting of curry, 
rice, pastry, cakes, cream, etc., while a priest waves a many- 
flamed lamp and burns incense before a stone. 

11. Strains of noisy, discordant music rouse the deity 
from his afternoon sleep at 4 P. M., the temple having been 
closed for the preceding four hours. 

12. Sweetmeats are offered. 

13. The afternoon bath is administered. 

14. The god is dressed as in the morning. 

15. Another meal is served. 

16. Another bath is administered. 

17. The full dress ceremony takes place, when fine, 
costly vestments, yellow flowers and perfumery are placed 
on the stone. 



292 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

18. Another offering of food follows. 

19. After an hour's interval the regular supper is 
served. 

20. Five masks and a kind of musical instrument are 
brought in and oblations are made. 

21. Waving of lights is performed before bedtime. 

22. A bedstead is brought into the sanctuary and the 
god composed to sleep. 

The Hindus do not starve their gods. Of course it is 
understood that the priests do the eating, and personal ob- 
servation leads us to say that they are sleek and fat, and 
show evidence of having an abundance of good food. Any 
surplus is sold and the money belongs to the priests. 
Many of the priests do not believe in all this nonsense, but 
they say the people want it so, and they are willing to serve 
them; for in this way they get their living. Why should 
they not do it? There are some ministers of the Gospel 
who are treading dangerously near the path trodden by the 
Hindu priest — preaching to please the people. 

But the worst features of Hinduism and idolatry are 
yet to be related; that is, so far as it is possible to relate 
them with due regard to the rules of propriety. The wor- 
ship of the wives of Vishnu and Siva, or female energy, un- 
der the name of Saktism is so utterly degrading in its char- 
acter as to more than deserve these strong words by a thor- 
oughly reliable author: " In Saktism we were confronted 
with the worst results of the worst superstitious ideas that 
have ever disgraced and degraded the human race." Sen- 
suality, drunkenness, carnal passion, licentiousness and all 
the grosser appetites are held to be forms of virtue. All 
social rules and restrictions are disregarded, and the vilest 
orgies are indulged in by those who seek in this way to 
gratify their deities. Prostitution is made a virtue and 



PROSTITUTION A VIRTUE. 293 

adultery has the sanction of a religious rite. Thousands 
of innocent girls, even before their birth, are dedicat- 
ed to the idol temple service, where, in the name and in the 
service of their gods they lead lives of shame. While 
it is claimed that they are married to the idol, they at 
once become the slaves of licentious priests who rule in 
the temples where they belong. All this but faintly de- 
scribes the depth of the degradation to which idolatry has 
sunk these people. Depravity and sin seem to have no 
depth that has not been reached by them. Ignorance and 
superstition have bound them with error's chain, until they 
are led to commit all these excesses with the sanction of 
their idols, and in the belief that by them they will please 
their gods. 

We have heard it said by those at home who are not 
favorable to sending the Gospel to the heathen, "We have 
the heathen at home, convert them first, and then it will be 
time to go to foreign lands." If the apostles had taken a 
course of this kind, the religion of Jesus Christ would have 
remained in Palestine for many centuries. It is true we 
have heathen at home, but they have access to the Bible, 
and we may thank God that to the enlightened conscience 
of our nation sin is sin, while here it is, even in its worst as- 
pect, a form of righteousness. The people at home have 
the Gospel, here they sit in the deepest darkness of sin's 
darkest night. 

We have asked ourselves over and over again — since 
coming into actual contact with idolatry, and coming to 
know by hearing and seeing the reality as it exists — how 
shall we, as a church, escape if we neglect to do our part in 
giving the Gospel of light to these people? 

Probably many of us will go on, as we have been going 
in the past, building fine houses, costing from five to ten 



2g4 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

thousand dollars, and furnishing them with costly carpets, 
rich furniture, expensive organs and pianos, and with pic- 
tures and bric-a-brac, because the love of the beautiful in 
us must be cultivated; probably many of us willgo on load- 
ing our tables to groaning with delicacies and luxuries, eat- 
ing to repletion, chewing and smoking tobacco, riding in 
fine carriages drawn by splendid horses in expensive har- 
ness and costly trappings, wearing gold and costly array, 
spending the Lord's money for that which is not bread and 
for that which satisfieth not, and letting these poor souls 
die in the depths of sin and idolatry. 

We repeat again, this is what some of us are doing, and 
shall we go on in this way until some day God calls us as 
unfakhful stewards to give an account of our stewardship? 
And then what? Let each answer this question for himself, 
and answer it not as unto man, but as unto God! 

And here is another question: How many missionaries 
could we support in India and in other parts of the world, 
if all the actual unnecessaries of life were cut off among us, 
such as tobacco, table delicacies, costly garments, useless 
photographs, unnecessarily expensive houses and furniture, 
and indulgences which only gratify a perverted taste and 
appetite? Would one hundred missionaries be too high an 
estimate? 

It is not always easy to obtain reliable information in 
traveling through a country without a speaking knowledge 
of the language. Guides and even guidebooks are not al- 
ways to be depended upon. The former are often given to 
exaggeration, and the latter are sometimes gotten up more 
for the money to be made in selling them than for giving 
reliable information. In these gleanings dependence has 
not been placed upon information picked up at random here 
and there, but the best authorities on India and Hinduism, 




An Idol. 



ANIMAL WORSHIP. 2Q7 

Brahmanism and Buddhism have been examined and used. 
It may be in point to state that the best books on India are 
sold at very high prices. Sir Monier Williams' books on 
Buddhism and Hinduism, although of only medium size, 
bound in cloth, cost about six dollars each. It is some- 
times urged that our books at home are too high, but com- 
pared with the .prices here and in England, they are very 
cheap. 

Since the foregoing part of this chapter was written we 
have visited some temples, the stone carvings upon which 
are too obscene and degrading to even think about. If 
there is a depth of degradation and vileness that has not 
been reached by the Hindu Saktists in their idolatry, it has 
not been made known to humanity. It is really pleasant 
to turn away from the most revolting phase of idolatry to 
one at least less degrading in its tendencies, that is, animal 
worship. 

Before giving a brief account of animal worship, it is 
only right to say that the educated Brahmans do not be- 
lieve in idolatry. In conversation with them they have told 
us that there is nothing in the idols, but the people want 
them and worship them, and the priest gets his living and is 
satisfied to allow them ignorantly to worship stocks and 
stones. Ignorance is the devil's stronghold. In the days 
of slavery in the South, laws were enacted against educating 
the negro. So here the lower classes are kept in ignorance, 
the ready handmaid of tyranny and oppression. If the 
masses were educated the power of the Brahman priest 
would be shaken off and idolatry receive a deadly blow. 

Animal worship as it is found in India has been com- 
mon among idolatrous peoples in all ages of the world. 
The Egyptians, as is well known, worshiped many kinds of 
animals, including birds, reptiles, and even insect life. The 



298 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

Israelites made their golden calf at Mt. Sinai, having re- 
ceived their idea of the idol from their taskmasters in 
Egypt, who worshiped Apis, or the White Ox. But his- 
tory gives no record equaling the excess to which the wor- 
ship of animals has been carried in India. According to a 
popular belief among the people, there are no less than 
eight million, four hundred thousand living creatures into 
which a man may pass before reaching a final resting place. 
And this belief, firmly held by the masses, has led them to 
worship everything in which there is life. This may, and 
does, seem quite absurd to us, but it has to the Hindu the 
reality of an unbounded faith. He firmly believes that not 
only his own soul, but even. the soul of his god may pass in- 
to an animal form. Indeed, we need not go back very far 
in the history of our own ancestry until we find them wor- 
shiping animals and offering human sacrifices to their idols; 
and such would we be tO-day, were it not for the religion of 
Jesus Christ. 

This belief among the Hindus accounts for the fact 
that they rarely eat flesh and take no delight in killing ani- 
mals. Hunting simply for sport is unknown among them. 
Many of the most radical of them will drink no water with- 
out straining it, lest they inadvertently destroy animal life. 
One necessary article to the so-called holy man's scanty 
outfit is a small water strainer. This belief also begets in 
the Hindu a strong love for all of God's creatures; and it is 
always a matter of great interest and curiosity to see how 
animals of almost every description live on terms of the 
very closest intimacy with human beings. We observed 
this relationship many times while in India. While we 
write these lines a crow sits within a few feet of us, eyeing 
the movement of the pen with much apparent interest. No 
fear is manifested, for even the birds trust their friends. 




The Four-headed Brahma. 



HINDU LOVE FOR ANIMALS. 30 1 

And so here in India the feathered songsters build their 
nests and brood their young about the houses, by the way- 
side, and in the fields before the eyes of every passer-by, 
and within easy reach of every schoolboy, without the least 
fear of being molested. The birds of the air and the beasts 
of the field share a portion of the home and food of the 
farmer as a matter of right, without protest or grudging on 
his part. In the towns and cities the ox and the cow roam 
at their own will on sidewalk and pavement, and jostle you 
on the streets; monkeys make their homes on the housetop 
and amuse you with their playful antics, and annoy you 
with thieving propensities; squirrels frisk about the veran- 
das and gladly share your meal on the slightest invitation; 
parrots in brilliant plumage of red, green and gold chatter 
about the windows and peer inquisitively into your cham- 
bers. Crows sit on your window sills and make themselves 
quite at home in your rooms, carrying off and hiding any 
small article that may please their fancy; sparrows come 
and go at their own sweet will, picking crumbs from the 
tablecloth or bread-plate, and resting complacently upon 
any projection on the wall; lizards chase each other up and 
down the walls of your sitting-room and hide themselves 
away in the folds of your bed-clothing; snakes, at some 
places during the rainy season, make themselves unpleas- 
antly familiar with the interior of your home; and if your 
house be on the outskirts of the town, the jackals will give 
you a nightly serenade with almost human-like voice. 

We confess that the Hindu love for animals touches a 
responsive chord in our heart, and while we would love to 
have them all embrace Christianity and worship the true 
and living God, we should not like to see them lose their 
sympathy for the lowest of God's creatures. We willingly 
admit that many professing Christians, who beat and abuse 



302 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

their faithful animal servants, might well learn lessons of 
mercy from the Hindus. Let us remember that our Bible 
teaches that "a righteous man regardeth the life of his 
beast," and that the Master said: "Be ye therefore merci- 
ful." 

Of all animals worshiped by the Hindus, the cow and 
ox must be placed at the head of the list. In a preceding 
chapter attention was called to the worship of the cow. To 
a people who never kill animals for food, and who have no 
horses for their plows and carts, the value of the cow for 
nourishment and the ox for farming purposes cannot be 
overestimated. The cow is held in the highest veneration. 
Every part of its body is the supposed abode of some one 
of the Hindus' many deities. Every hair on its body is 
held sacred, and to the cow worshiper, its five products are 
of all things most holy.* The very ashes of her excreta, if 
applied to the person of a wicked man will, it is supposed, 
make a good man of him. Believing all this, it is not to be 
wondered at that the heaven of one of the Hindu gods, — 
"Krishna," — is known as Go-loka or, literally, "cow world." 

The Hindus also believe in a divine cow known as 
Surabhi or " cow of plenty," representations of which are to 
be seen in temples, and are also kept in houses for the pur- 
pose of domestic worship. The ox is dedicated to the god 
Siva, and in every temple where the symbols of this god are 
displayed is to be seen the stone image of the ox in a re- 
clining posture facing the idol. Pious Hindus believe that 
they cannot attain higher merit than to brand an ox with 
Siva's trident and turn it loose to roam at full freedom 
about the city of Benares, or Gaya. At Benares we saw a 
number of these huge animals walking independently about 



* Sir Monier Williams. 



COW WORSHIP. 303 

the streets. The gift and turning loose of such an animal is 
attended with much ceremony. 

Cows are also kept in Hindu temples. We visited 
many of these temples, and we could see scores of cows 
stalled inside where the priests would not allow us to walk 
lest we should pollute the holy place. Even if we entered 
the outer court we were required to put off our shoes. The 
temples were, according to our notion, made filthy by being 
turned into cow stables, but to the Hindu this only purified 
and made them holy. How radically different are our 
views as to what is pure and cleanly! 

To show to what excess cow worship has been carried, 
the following fact, related by Williams, is given: "At Ogra 
there is an image of a man named Mukunda. The Brah- 
man, who was my guide when I visited this place, gravely 
informed me that it represented a celebrated saint, who felt 
himself compelled to commit suicide by jumping into a 
neighboring river, as a penalty for having accidentally swal- 
lowed the hair of a cow by drinking milk without straining 
it." 

Snakes are the second class of animals to which divine 
honors are given in India. There is something about the 
very name itself that gives one an involuntary shudder, and 
how people can worship these reptiles is difficult to under- 
stand. It is probably due to the fact that they excite great 
fear among the people. Perhaps in no other country in the 
world are there so many poisonous snakes as are to be 
found in India. Some of them by merely pricking the skin 
cause almost instantaneous death. Among these is the 
well-known deadly black cobra, and the almost equally ven- 
omous rock snake. Death from the bite of the cobra usual- 
ly occurs within a very few hours after the wound has been 
inflicted. 



304 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

The habit of the natives in walking about barefoot with 
the lower limbs entirely unclad, exposes them to constant 
peril of being bitten by these deadly reptiles. Reliable 
authority places the number who die annually in India from 
this cause alone at twenty-five thousand. So great has 
been the destruction of human life from this source, that 
the British Government offered a small money reward for 
every poisonous snake killed. Very few of the native Hin- 
dus, however, could be induced to kill the reptiles, fearing, 
as they said, lest they might kill one of their gods. The 
English-speaking people with the missionaries and Mos- 
lems had no such scruples, and between the years 1S75- 
80 over one million venomous snakes were killed, for 
which the government paid the stipulated reward. During 
the same period one hundred and three thousand persons 
died from snake bites. One of the missionaries, Mr. A. 
Haegart, told us at Calcutta that he had himself killed no 
less than three hundred snakes during his stay in India, 
over a hundred of them being deadly cobras. 

Whether the motive be fear or something else, the ig- 
norant Hindu is much given to serpent worship. It is stat- 
ed that some years ago there were in Cashmere seven 
hundred temples for snake worship. At Benares we had 
pointed out to us, by our intelligent Hindu guide, a huge 
stone image of a cobra, to which offerings were being made. 
Our guide said, " We worship the image of the cobra, hop- 
ing that by so doing we shall be protected from being bit- 
ten by poisonous snakes." At the same place is a snake 
pool which is believed to possess great cleansing power. If 
a man bathes in it he is assured by the attendant priest, who 
receives a small gratuity, that any sin he may have commit- 
ted will be washed away. Some draw the form of a serpent 
on their walls and do homage to it. Others go to the holes 



REPTILE WORSHIP. 305 

where the snakes have their underground homes and place 
sticks in the ground, wrap cotton thread about them and 
make offerings of flowers and food to the reptiles. 

Pool, in his work on India, gives the following quota- 
tion from a lecture by an educated native: " Though people 
die from their venomous bites, serpents are worshiped as 
living deities by many of my fellow-countrymen. Respect- 
able citizens deem it a duty to set apart a cool patch in 
their gardens for the comfortable residence of snakes. 
Occasionally the reptiles creep out into the house itself, 
just by way of a little change. I have seen many title-deeds 
of estates in which the snakes are conveyed along with 
other rights to the purchaser. Cobras wander about freely 
and in broad daylight in certain of the famous pagodas. 
There is a temple dedicated to Krishna, which is particular- 
ly sacred to cobras. Every time I have visited the temple 
I have been greeted by one or more of these reptiles. 
Once I saw a huge cobra quietly passing a few yards off, 
followed by a train of worshipers with clasped hands. Sud- 
denly it turned and began to crawl toward me, when I sud- 
denly remembered that I had urgent business elsewhere 
and hurriedly left the sacred precincts." 

The same author tells how the natives place offerings 
of sugar, butter, flour, milk and fruit near the holes where 
the reptiles have their homes. The women and children 
then join hands and circle five times round the place, and 
then lie down and watch anxiously to see if the snakes will 
come out of their holes and partake of the things presented 
to them. If so, which is usually the case, the foolish people 
are delighted, and go back to their homes believing that 
their god has heard their prayers and will give them a 
blessing. 

It makes the heart sad to see and know that all these 



306 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

things are terrible realities among India's millions of igno- 
rant heathen. May the day speedily come when these peo- 
ple shall know and worship God, and learn that in the name 
of Jesus Christ there is pardon for all sins, for "as Moses 
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the 
Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him 
should not perish, but have eternal life." 

But the depth of absurdity, it seems to us, is reached in 
Hindu animal worship when divine honors are paid to the 
monkey. That this mischievous, thieving, antic-loving lit- 
tle animal should be placed among the gods of India seems 
almost too ridiculous for belief. And yet, absurd as it 
may seem to us, it is too true. The Hindu is not at all par- 
ticular in selecting his objects of worship, for the monkey 
is perhaps the most mischievous and ungodlike of all ani- 
mals. Very often we are told a troop of them will appear 
in a village and out of mere love of mischief proceed to 
tear off the roof of a native house. The natives would nev- 
er dream of killing one of them. He is to them an imper- 
sonation of one of their gods, and his sacred character 
shields him from all harm. 

Brother Stover informed us that when the villagers 
quarrel, as they sometimes do, they throw handfuls of rice 
on each other's house roofs, and the monkeys assist them 
by tearing up the tiles in search for the food. He also re- 
lated the following incident: " Mr. McDonald, an English 
engineer, spends his vacation in hunting. He was called 
upon at one time by a native, whose stock of patience had 
been entirely exhausted by the destruction of his crops by a 
lot of monkeys. He requested the hunter to come to the 
village and shoot some of them. Mr. McDonald went, but 
when about to begin the execution the native's heart failed 
him and he cried out, ' O Sahib, don't kill him, don't kill 



MONKEY GOD. 307 

him, he is our god.' Then Mr. McDonald argued the point 
with the Hindu in this way: ' You say the monkey is a god. 
I say he is not. You can't kill a god by shooting him. I 
will shoot the monkey, and if he dies then I am right; if he 
lives then he is a god and you are right.' To this very 
reasonable proposition the native agreed. Result — one less 
monkey god for India." 

The name of the monkey god is Hanuman, and he is 
held in high esteem and is greatly reverenced by the igno- 
rant worshipers of Vishnu. His images are often hideous 
caricatures of the human body with the head of a monkey. 
They are also sometimes seen in the form of a shapeless 
mass of stone or clay. They are painted, or rather daubed- 
all over with red paint of the brightest hue, and then part of 
the oil that is given as an offering is poured over the idol. 
Nothing can be more disgusting in appearance than these 
hideous images painted red and reeking with oil, to which 
the dust adheres. 

Brother Stover and myself, in our frequent walks about 
Bulsar, often saw people buying small quantities of oil and 
carrying it in brass vessels to the temples where it was 
handed to the priest as an offering to the idol. With a 
spoon the priest would pour a small portion on the image 
and then bless the donor and place a red mark on his fore- 
head, using a little of the soft paint from the idol. Then, 
after prostrating himself before the idol and repeating a 
form of prayer — simply a repetition of the god's name — the 
worshiper would depart, doubtless feeling that he had 
served his god. 

We saw many of these idols while in India, and we 
thought many times, How can people be so foolish as to 
bow down before these gods of clay and stone! Williams 
tells of an image of the monkey god which he came across 



308 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

in Poonah. It was said to be over two hundred years old. 
At the time a man was in the act of painting it red, and an- 
other man was prostrating himself at full length on the 
ground before it. Offerings of oil are being constantly 
made to the images of Hanuman. Of course only a very 
small portion of the oil is poured on the idol, the rest being 
appropriated and sold by the priest. And this brings him 
a. large income. It is authoritatively stated that a single 
offering, made by a wealthy worshiper to an image of Hanu- 
man at Kaira, consisted of eight hundred gallons of oil. 
The accompanying photogravure shows a wealthy Hindu 
in the act of worshiping his god. The priest sits by with 
folded hands and solemn face. The crown of his head has 
been carefully shaved. Notice the three horizontal bars 
drawn on his forehead, marking him as a follower of Siva. 
He has the sacred cord thrown over his shoulder. He 
seems to be in deep meditation and is probably offering a 
prayer for the worshiper. His appearance shows that he 
has been well fed. Whoever else may starve and die of 
famine, the priest will not suffer for the want of food. The 
worshiper has before him a small dish in which is an image 
of his god. He has in his right hand a spoon and is pour- 
ing oil on the head of the image. He has a bright, intelli- 
gent face, and it always seemed incredible to me that men 
of the apparent intelligence of this one would worship an 
image made with men's hands. 

We have space here for but one more illustration of the 
veneration in which monkeys are held. The account is giv- 
en in Ward's " Hindus." To us it seems incredible, but in 
India it is not thought out of the way. A certain rich rajah 
(native prince) of Bengal spent about thirty thousand dol- 
lars in marrying a male and female monkey. The cere- 
monies lasted twelve days and were carried on with all the 



TREE WORSHIP. 311 

pomp, pageant and expense usual at the weddings of the 
rich. The male monkey was dressed in the richest robes 
with a crown fastened upon his head; and was borne along 
in a costly vehicle, with a whole array of servants to wait 
upon him. Money was lavishly spent, and there was much 
feasting and great rejoicing, the prince doubtless believing 
that in this way he was showing great honor to his god and 
securing a vast amount of merit for himself. 

But space forbids that we should go further into the 
details of animal worship, as found throughout India. The 
subject is practicably inexhaustible. We may, in addition to 
the animals already named, say that elephants, lions, tigers, 
buffaloes, horses, sheep, dogs, cats, eagles, crows, peafowls, 
the tortoise, turtles, fish and alligators or crocodiles are 
worshiped by many Hindus. As is well known, at one time 
it was quite common for mothers to throw their infant girls 
into the jaws of the sacred crocodiles of the Ganges river as 
an offering to their god. Happily this terrible practice has 
been stamped out by British authority. 

In addition to animal worship, the worship of trees and 
plants is also quite common in all parts of India. To the 
ignorant Hindu some of these are deities themselves, while 
others are believed to be permeated by the essence of cer- 
tain deities. Among these are the pipal or bo tree, sacred 
to Hindu and Buddhist alike, the banyan tree and the soma 
and tulsi plants. To the latter plant the following prayer is 
offered: " I adore that tulsi in whose roots are all the sacred 
places of pilgrimage, in whose center are all the deities, and 
in whose upper branches are all the Vedas." 

But the great estimation in which the tulsi is held is 
best indicated by the fact that it is to be found in almost 
every respectable Hindu household throughout India. It 
is a small shrub, not too big to be cultivated in a good- 



312 GIRDLING THE GLOEE. 

sized flower pot, and is often placed in rooms. Generally, 
however, it is planted in the courtyard of a well-to-do man's 
house, with a space around it where the owner may rever- 
ently walk. In real fact, the tulsi is above all others a do- 
mestic or household divinity. As a rule the one daily re- 
ligious rite among the Hindu women consists in walking 
round the tulsi plant, saying prayers to it, or in placing 
offerings of flowers and rice before it. It is also quite com- 
mon to marry the tulsi plant to the image of Krishni. The 
idol is brought from one of the temples in procession to the 
residence where the tulsi is kept. The idol is placed in a 
palanquin and followed by a long train of attendants. 
Then the marriage festivities are celebrated, perhaps at the 
cost of several hundred dollars.* 

We have entered at some length into the subject of idol 
worship in India, and some may conclude that too much 
has been given. But, as before intimated, we have merely 
glanced at the subject, gleaning a little here and there as 
we passed along. Volume upon volume might be written, 
and still much would remain to be told. It is hoped, how- 
ever, that these brief and hastily-written " gleanings " may 
give the reader a general idea as to how wholly and how 
fully the Hindu mind is dominated by idolatry and idol 
worship. There is not even the ordinary excuse of image 
worship, that the Creator is worshiped through the idol. 
All the Hindus veritably believe that the very essence of 
the deity is in the wood, the clay, the stone, or the metal of 
which idols are made. It is also hoped that the thoughtful 
reader may be impressed with the great necessity of giving 
to these benighted heathen the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We 
have but recently ascertained, from reliable statistics, that 
Hinduism numbers not less than two hundred million souls 



•" Brahmanism and Hinduism," pp. 334-35. 



TEACH ALL NATIONS. 3 1 3 

and that, by the natural preponderance of births over 
deaths, it is rapidly increasing in numbers. Whatever we 
do in this work, in our day and generation, must be done 
quickly. Here are millions upon millions of human beings, 
made in the image of God, who have never had the slight- 
est opportunity to hear of Christ and his salvation. And 
these are fully embraced in one of the most positive com- 
mands in the New Testament, a command that comes to us 
in full force, because we strongly profess to obey all the 
commandments, "Go ye therefore, and teach all na- 
tions." Will we obey the Master's last commandment? 



CHAPTER XII. 



Among the Common People — Manners and Customs — Burning the 
Dead — A Cremation at the Riverside — " Ram Ram " — Vain Rep- 
etitions — Sorrow Makes the World Akin — Burning of Widows — 
The Hindu Widow at the Judgment — Burning Ghat — Native 
Houses — Home Life of the Villagers — Daily Religious Service — 
Strict Observance of Rites and Ceremonies — The Par si Offering 
his Evening Prayer — Woman Grinding at the Mill — Dress — 
Dhoti — Rings for the Arms and Legs — Untruthfulness of Natives. 

The manners, customs and home life of the people of 
India were of absorbing interest to me, and a description of 
them may be equally interesting to others. I give not only 
such incidents as came under my own observation, but 
glean from all available sources of information. By coming 
into personal contact with the people, going into their 
homes, meeting them in their villages, learning from the 
missionaries we met and from the books read, reliable in- 
formation has been gained and is given to those who may 
care to read. 

It must always be borne in mind, however, that India is 
a large country with a score of languages and as many dif- 
ferent peoples, and that what is true of one part of the 
country may not be true of another. If a traveler from Eu- 
rope should visit our country, landing at Charleston, South 
Carolina, and visit several of the Southern States, where the 
colored population equals or exceeds the white, and, trust- 
ing to appearances, should write that there are as many ne- 
groes in the United States as there are white people, he 

would make a very natural, but, at the same time, a very 

(314) 



BURNING THE DEAD. 



315 



great mistake. So, in writing about any country, one may 
easily fall into the very common error of generalizing from 
a few facts. It shall be our aim to avoid this as much as 
possible. It may be safely stated that while Hinduism is 
almost universally found in India, many of the manners and 
customs of the people are local in their character. 

With the exception of small children under two or 
three years old, and of the so-called holy men who are 
buried at death, the Hindus burn the bodies of their dead. 
Small children are buried, except among those who live 
near the sacred river Ganges, into which the bodies are 




FUNERAL PYRE. 



thrown as soon as possible after life is extinct. The funeral 
rites and ceremonies attending the burning of a dead body 
are very expensive, ranging in cost from ten to fifteen dol- 
lars for the very poorest, to many thousands for the wealthy. 
Much of the money is spent in feasting relatives, paying 
priests, and giving gifts to religious beggars and vagabond 
holy men. It is authoritatively stated that some of the 



3 l6 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

wealthy rajahs of Bengal, of high princely family, have ex- 
pended as much as a quarter of a million dollars at a single 
funeral. In this way many Hindus incur debts that burden 
them as long as they live, and are left as burdens upon their 
children; for in India a man's debts, as well as his property, 
if he has either, are inherited by his heirs, and they are 
bound to pay them. 

When a Hindu becomes dangerously ill his relatives at 
once make arrangements for the disposal of his body. If 
he lives within ten or fifteen miles of the Ganges, or some 
other sacred stream, he is immediately placed upon a litter 
and carried by his eldest son and nearest relatives to the 
banks of the river, so that he may look upon its hoi)' water 
and have its protection when he dies. Such a proceeding, 
it would seem to us, would have a tendency to hasten death, 
but the Hindu thinks this is the only proper thing to do. 

As soon as death intervenes, the body is prepared for 
the burning. The eldest son, or his nearest representative, 
carefully shaves the body and bathes it with water from the 
sacred stream, and places upon it bits of sandal wood and 
flowers. It is then wrapped in a white cloth and laid upon 
the litter. A small ball made of rice flour is also laid with 
it as an offering to the deity of the soil. At the same time 
the dead man's name is called out by his son, while others 
of the relatives walk about the bier weeping and uttering 
loud lamentations. The litter is then taken upon the 
shoulders of four men, the eldest son being one of the num- 
ber, and the body is borne rapidly to the burning ground, 
which, if possible, must be near a river. The next act in the 
drama is the burning of the body. Among the wealthy the 
funeral pile is made of sandal wood and of the sacred tulsi 
shrub to which reference was made in our last chapter. 
Others use the wood of the sacred pipal or bo tree. The 



HINDU FUNERAL. 317 

ground selected for the pyre must be purified by sprinkling' 
holy water upon it. Five balls of rice flour are placed upon 
the body which is made to face the north, and its orifices 
are filled with ghee, — clarified butter. The eldest son ap- 
plies the torch to the wood, saying: " May the guardian 
deity Pushan convey thee hence on thy distant road; may 
he deliver thee to the Fathers! " * 

During our stay at the mission home at Bulsar we were 
awakened very early one morning by a chorus of voices 
crying out, " Ram-ram, Ram-ram." Brother Stover said 
it was a Hindu funeral, and going out upon the veranda 
we saw some twenty persons following the bearers of the 
dead. Two bamboo poles tied together with ropes formed 
the litter, and on this the body, wrapped in white cloth, was 
borne. The bearers, as they hurried along cried out, 
" Ram-Ram" with the falling inflection on the last syllable; 
but Sir Edwin Arnold is authority for the statement that the 
bearers cry out '"Ram-Ram such Jiai! " (i. e.) " Rama is the 
true god! " — while those who follow, carrying the fire and 
clarified butter, used in the cremation, answered: "Jo kaJia 
bhas such hai!" literally, "What you say is true, broth- 
ers! " f 

Hastily getting read}', we followed after the procession, 
but as they went along at a half run they were soon out of 
sight; but we could hear the bearers calling out the name of 
their god, repeating the words " Ram-Ram " over again and 
again. It was an example of the vain repetition of the 
heathen to which our Savior referred when he taught his 
disciples how to pray. The river was a mile away, and 
when we reached the stream those who had charge of the 
ceremonies were preparing for the burning. The wood was 



*" Brahmanism and Hinduism." p 200. 
fSir E, Arnold, " India Revisited," page is 5 



3 I 8 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

thrown from the ox cart on which it had been brought to 
the place. Brother Stover asked if our being there was ob- 
jectionable, and was assured that we were quite welcome to 
stay and witness the ceremony; and we at once became in- 
terested spectators. Nearly all present took some part in 
carrying the wood and building up the funeral pyre. The 
dry wood used was cut into pieces about five feet in length. 
Two heavy pieces were laid parallel on the ground, and 
upon these transversely the pile was built some three feet 
high. The body was then dipped into the water and care- 
fully laid upon the funeral pyre, upon which a little water 
had been sprinkled. Several pieces of wood were laid upon 
the body, some clarified butter poured upon the head and 
breast, and five balls made of rice were laid by its side as 
an offering. The torch was now applied and slowly the 
wood ignited and began to burn. 

Up to this time nothing in the manner of the natives 
present indicated any feeling of sadness. A short distance 
from the burning wood sat a little group watching the pro- 
ceedings with apparent interest; but surely not with more 
interest than was manifested by the missionary and the 
traveler. While we looked the fire blazed up and envel- 
oped the body, and then from the dusky group sitting near 
by broke forth a long, low wail of pent-up grief and sorrow, 
and floated out upon the cool morning air, over the bosom 
of the placid stream. Up to this moment we had been in- 
terested spectators, but the cry of grief from the crushed 
and sorrow-stricken hearts found and touched a responsive 
chord of sympathy. We were no longer mere spectators, 
but our deepest sympathies went out to these heart-sore, 
dusky children of India, and they were, for the time, our 
brethren; for had we not also learned the lesson of grief at 
the tomb of loved ones? So we found, not for the first 



WIDOWS BURNED. 3 IQ 

time, here in far-away India, that a touch of sorrow makes 
the whole world akin. 

We left the burning' pile, the body rapidly turning' to 
ashes and dust, and the group of gentle, brown-skinned 
mourners by the side of the quiet river; but the scene, one 
of the acts in the drama of real life, we shall not easily for- 
get. It occurred two months ago, but as we write it all 
comes back as vividly as it appeared on that bright Decem- 
ber morning on the banks of the river at Bulsar. 

After the body and wood have been consumed, — about 
five hours is usually required, — the ashes and bits of broken 
bones that have not been calcined are all carefully gath- 
ered up and thrown into the river. And so century after 
century have the rivers of India borne the ashes of her num- 
berless millions of dead down to the sea. What a coming 
forth there will be here, when the rivers and the sea shall 
give up their dead! 

Years ago it was a custom, often observed, for a faith- 
ful Hindu wife to give proof of devotion to and her love 
for her dead husband by allowing her living body to be 
burned with his corpse. But in 1829 this terrible practice 
of self-immolation was happily prohibited by statute in Brit- 
ish India. Since then it has been unknown save in a few 
isolated cases. According to the best authorities it never 
was compulsory, unless the unhappy lot of the Hindu widow 
made her choose this as the least of two evils. The teach- 
ing and faith of the Hindus was that the widow who thus 
sacrificed herself with her dead husband would cleanse him 
from all sin and make a saint of_ him, and that she would 
dwell in happy union with him in the other world as many 
hundred thousand years as there were hairs on his body. 
Part of this belief is embodied in an old verse. The trans- 
lation is from Arnold: 



320 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

' When the Hindu wife, embracing tenderly her husband dead, 
Mounts the funeral pyre beside him, as it were a bridal bed; 
Though his sins were twenty thousand, twenty thousand times o'er told 
She would bring his soul to Swarza* for that love so strong and bold." 

With a faith of this kind firmly held by the widow, with 
her heart broken by the loss of her husband, with the terri- 
ble life of widowhood before her — which means more in 
India than anywhere else — it is not to be wondered at that 
she oftentimes chooses the terrible ordeal of being burned 
alive rather than to live the life of seclusion and privation 
that would inevitably fall to her lot. 

This devotion all seems very strange to us, but we have 
asked ourselves the question many, many times, What of 
the future of these poor, ignorant people? In their blind 
faith, without a knowledge of the true God, or of his Son 
Jesus Christ who died to save them from all sin and to give 
them eternal life, many of these Hindu women were, and 
are still, willing to die a terrible death of agony to save 
their husbands and to enioy, as they believe, unnumbered 
happy years with them. Will it not be more tolerable for 
these in the day of judgment than for those men and wom- 
en in our Christian land, who have the Gospel preached to 
them and bear the name of Christian, and yet violate God's 
first law of marriage? The divorce courts are kept busy, 
that Christian (?) men and women may break the bond 
that unites them, and, for the gratification of sinful lust, 
marry again and again. The poor, ignorant, yet true, Hin- 
du wife, heathen as she is, knows no divorce but death. If 
the Master were here, would he not say to those who thus 
trample the laws of God under their feet, " But I say unto 
you, It shall be more tolerable for the Hindu widow at the 
day of judgment, than for you? " 



* Hindu place of rest and happiness. 




PQ 



pq 



BURNING GHAT. 323 

From the burning ghats at Benares, a view of which 
may be had on page 321, the smoke of cremation constantly 
rises from the riverside and floats away over the city. We 
visited the place later in our travels, but refer to it here. 
In the picture a boatload of bamboo poles and wood, to be 
used in burning the dead, is seen at the shore. In the cen- 
ter, near the boat on a rude stretcher just touching the wa- 
ter's edge, lies a silent object, wrapped in a white cloth 
The two men near by with backs toward us are arranging 
for the burning. To the right are two burning funeral pyres 
from which the smoke is ascending, and near by is a man 
who, with a long pole, is throwing together the remains of 
an almost consumed pile. At the lower left hand corner is 
a small monument marking the spot where some faithful 
Hindu wife and widow voluntarily placed herself on the 
pyre with her dead husband and was burned to death. On 
the banks of the Ganges, at Benares, there are a number of 
these burning places, but this description will suffice for all. 

At Bulsar, and at other places, we went into the homes 
of the natives and saw something of their home-life, and to 
this we now direct attention. The houses of the poor in 
villages or in the native quarters of the large cities may b2 
described as mere mud huts. Usually several of them are 
built together, with an open space or yard in front. The 
mud walls are very thick and the thatched roof made of 
rice straw is several feet in depth. Bamboo, which is very 
strong and tough, and grows abundantly in India, enters 
largely into the construction of the hut. A basket-like 
framework with heavy corner posts is first set up, and this 
is plastered over inside and out with mud, until the required 
thickness is obtained. The rafters and lathing for the straw 
roof are also of bamboo and are held firmly in place by be- 
ing tied together with rope made of the fibre of the cocoa- 



324 GIRDLING THE GI OBE. 

nut husk. The doors are low and narrow, and one must 
stoop to enter. The huts we entered were without windows. 
In central and southern India the houses are built, not as a 
protection from cold, but from heat and rain. In front the 
roof extends some five or six feet and is supported with 
posts. This extension forms the veranda. The floor of the 
hut is usually raised several feet above the level of the 
ground, and is made of earth tramped solid. 

Generally the house is divided into three compartments 
— the veranda, which is sittingroom and parlor, and the in- 
terior sleeping and storerooms. The natives spend much or 
their time in the open air, and the veranda is a favorite 
place for sitting. Here visitors are received and enter- 
tained, the ground floor being provided with bamboo mats. 

The better grade of houses are occasionally built of 
brick, are one story high, but usually have but two or three 
rooms in them. These may also have windows. The hous- 
es of the rich classes are well and substantially built, usually 
of brick, and are comfortably furnished. 

Let us go into one of the houses belonging to the poor- 
er classes. There is a group of them together. We enter 
the yard, which is shaded by a grove of cocoanut palms. 
From a large tree at one side a red flag is flying, marking 
the location of the family idol. The owner meets us, and, 
in answer to a question, says: " Yes, that is our god," point- 
ing to an ugly caricature of the human face, painted red and 
reeking with oil and filth. We were shown through the 
house and found not a single piece of furniture in it. Bed- 
steads, chairs, stools, benches, tables or wardrobes were not 
to be seen. On a bamboo pole hung several cotton quilts 
which served as beds. A stone hand-mill, similar to those 
used in Palestine, and a number of earthen vessels stood in 
one corner. In several rude baskets were the poultry be- 



I 



7<aSr 





VEGETABLE FOOD. 327 

longing to the housekeeper. As it was evening the owner 
informed us that they were gathered in; otherwise they 
would fall a prey to the jackals. The householder led by 
the hand his oldest son, a bright little fellow about four. 
His dress was that provided by nature. A small silver coin 
brought a smile to his face as he placed his hand to his 
forehead, and said, " Salaam, Sa/iib." 

Chairs are never used by the poorer classes. The na- 
tives squat down, bringing the heels close up to the hips 
with the chin almost between the knees; others sit down 
flat, folding the lower limbs in front of them. In this way 
they rest. If you gave them a chair they would use it in 
one of the two ways here described. We have seen them 
many times sit in this way on the seats in the cars. We 
confess we often envied them the ability to sit down and 
rest quite independent of such modern inventions as chairs. 

The food of the people is almost entirely vegetable. 
At some places the flesh of goats offered to idols is eaten, 
as it is not considered wrong to take life for this purpose. 
Fish are also eaten in some districts, but a strictly vegetable 
diet with milk and its products is the general rule. Among 
the masses of the laboring classes, rice of the poorest quali- 
ty and pulse — a coarse, nutritious grain, similar to that eat- 
en by Daniel and the Hebrew children at Babylon — with a 
little milk, a kind of butter and curds, are the staple articles 
of food. When it is remembered that many of these people 
work for four cents a day, and are often compelled to sup- 
port a large family on from two to three dollars a month, it 
will be understood that the bill of fare cannot be an elabo- 
rate one. 

Knives and forks, and, in many cases, even plates are 
not used. When the food has been prepared, each member 
of the family is served with a portion on a piece of plantain 



328 . GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

or banana leaf, and the fingers are found to be much more 
convenient than forks. It is interesting to see how skill- 
fully rice and pulse are taken up with the thumb and three 
fingers and thrown into the mouth. Flat cakes, called 
" chupatties " — baked of flour, made of pulse or wheat — are 
also eaten, but the poorer people seldom enjoy the luxury 
of wheat flour. A brass or earthen vessel containing drink- 
ing water is placed within reach of those eating, and from 
this the water is poured into the mouth, the lips not touch- 
ing the vessel. At the close of the meal the hands are 
washed; the housewife has but little work to do in the way 
of dish-washing and clearing away what is left. 

The houses of the wealthy are often two or three sto- 
ries high and have an open court in the center. Furniture 
is not generally used. Bedsteads are to be found in the 
sleeping rooms, and in a secluded upper room is a strong 
box containing the family jewelry. The ground floor has a 
kitchen which is also used as a dining room. There are also 
storerooms for grain and fuel, and even stalls for cattle. In 
one of the lower rooms there is usually a reservoir or well 
for water. Here are also many brightly-scoured brass wa- 
ter vessels ready for use. 

Another room on the ground floor is set apart for daily 
worship. There, in a small wooden temple, or sacred recep- 
tacle, are kept the household gods or idols, usually five in 
number; and here each member of every respectable Hindu 
family pays worship to the idols at least once every day. 
In this room is also retained the sacred fire which is still 
worshiped by a few orthodox Hindus. Especially is this: 
true at Benares, where the sacred fire is daily worshiped. 
And here, too, or in the court, is kept the sacred tulsi 
plant to which the women of the family offer adoration. 



DAILY RELIGIOUS SERVICES. 329 

The daily religious services of an orthodox pious Brah- 
man are exceedingly irksome and tedious. We give a 
synopsis of these duties from Sir Monier Williams' work. 
A modern orthodox Brahman is fettered and bound to his 
idols and will often devote four or five hours a day to their 
worship. Every faculty and function of his nature is bound 
by an iron chain of traditional observances. For example, 
his daily duties now comprise (1) the morning bath, a re- 
ligious observance. (2) Prayers and meditation, to be ob- 
served three times a day. (3) Worship by formally repeat- 
ing the first word of each of the sacred books. (4) The 
threefold daily oblation of water to the secondary gods. (5) 
The sacrifice to fire by fuel, rice, clarified butter, etc., etc. 
(6)The daily worship of his idols or gods in the room set 
apart for that purpose in his house. (7) The solitary visit 
to the neighboring temple, not necessarily for prayer, but 
simply for bowing before the idol, or merely for looking at 
it after its decoration by the idol priest. 

There are, in addition to these, other duties that he 
must not neglect. The service before the midday meal, 
with offerings of food, the daily homage of men by offering 
food to guests and beggars, the solemn fasts, to be observed 
twice a month and on special days, the reading of passages 
of the Puranas or sacred books, held to be an act of great 
merit, the pilgrimage to some sacred shrine or to the Gan- 
ges, and finally the last great sacrifice when the body ought 
to be burned by the same sacred fire which was originally 
kindled by husband and wife on their domestic hearth. 
This is an outline of an orthodox Brahman householder's 
life in modern times. It is to be noted that Hinduism does 
not enjoin assembling together for congregational worship.* 

These duties seem to us so burdensome that we wonder 



*" Brahmanism." pp. 393-394. 




< 



MORNING DEVOTIONS. 331 

again and again, that such a vast number of people willingly 
submit to them. We ought to rejoice with exceeding glad- 
ness that the religion of the New Testament enjoins no such 
heavy burdens upon the followers of Jesus. The observ- 
ances, so few in number, enjoined in the Gospel, ought to be 
gladly and gratefully accepted and carried out. But to 
some even the very few given are burdensome and are said 
to be useless and of none effect. Of some of them it is said, 
they applied to the time in which they were given, but are 
not applicable to this age; of others, that they were given to 
teach certain lessons, but this observance is not now neces- 
sary. How the faith of such people in the inspiration of 
God's Word and their devotion to it sinks down when com- 
pared with these heathen! 

Others there are who seem anxious to obey Christ in 
all things, but who have not even erected a family altar, 
and who fail to give audible thanks to God for the food 
they eat. While we were at Bulsar, Sister Stover sent one 
of their helpers to a shop to make a purchase. In a short 
time the man returned without the required article, stating 
that the shopkeeper, a Parsi, was engaged in his morning de- 
votions to the sun, and that he would be through in an hour, 
when the purchase might be made. We said, " Think of a 
shopkeeper at home, if such a thought is possible, closing 
his place of business each morning that he might devote an 
hour to worship! " Let those Christians who do not find 
time for family worship and prayers, or are too timid and 
backward to thus call upon the name of their God, take a 
lesson from the heathen. This is put down in all good con- 
science, free from personality, with the hope that it will do 
good. 

In connection with the customs of the people a photo- 
gravure is given, which is exceedingly interesting, showing, 



33^ GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

as it does, the handmill, with a woman grinding at it. This 
mill, which has been in use in Palestine ever since the days 
of Abraham, is also in use in India. The lower millstone is 
imbedded in clay and has four short legs to raise it from the 
ground. A rim is raised around it far enough away to form 
a receptacle for the meal which is thrown out by centrifugal 
force. The upper millstone is of the pattern so often seen 
in Palestine. The long wooden handle upon which the 
woman has her hand is used to turn the upper stone. Two 
women do the grinding. It will be observed that the huts 
in the background, with their thatch of rice straw, are circu- 
lar in form, a style of architecture often found among the 
lowly natives of India. Notice the heavy earrings worn 
by the women. I have seen them of such weight that the 
lobe of the ear was drawn down and greatly extended. 

Clothing in India is limited in supply, and the poorer 
classes, especially, are never burdened with a superfluity of 
wearing apparel. The laborer who works in the fields and 
on the streets often satisfies his ideas of propriety by wear- 
ing the merest strip of cloth wrapped about his loins. Bare- 
headed, bare-backed and bare-limbed, he works for hours 
under the fierce, burning rays of a tropical sun without suf- 
fering inconvenience. 

The better class of people are satisfied with two gar- 
ments made of white cotton cloth. The lower one, called 
the dhoti or waist cloth, is simply a piece of white muslin 
three-quarters of a yard wide, and four yards in length. 
This is wrapped and tucked about the body just above the 
hips, one end being caught up between the lower limbs and 
tucked in at the back. The lower limbs below the knees are 
left bare. When running the garment is girded about the 
loins so as not to impede progress, so that the people here 
literally gird up their loins as was done in Bible times. One 





-»- .. 



NATIVE DRESS. 335 

sees thousands of men in the cities, towns and villages, with 
no other garment save the dhoti. 

An upper garment, called uttariya, is also worn by 
large numbers. It is made of white cotton, and is about the 
same size and shape as the dhoti. It is thrown over the 
shoulder and worn like the Roman toga, covering the upper 
part of the body except one arm and shoulder. These two 
garments constitute the clothing of the great majority of 
the men of India. There is neither needlework nor buttons 
about them. The good housewife never worries herself lest 
when her husband changes his garments there may be a but- 
ton wanting. 

By some a close-fitting vest or short coat is worn, 
called a body protector. It is cut and made to fit, and is 
worn under the upper garment. 

The laboring man's working dress, or cloth, costs him 
but a few pennies. We purchased a dhoti, a uttariya, and a 
close-fitting jacket, such as are here described, for about 
four rupees, a little over one dollar of our money. It will 
be seen from this that clothing in India is very cheap; and 
it is well for the poor that this is the case. With the wages 
received, they cannot pay more. 

As to headdress, the greater number of the people of 
central and southern India wear nothing on their heads. In 
cold weather they muffle their heads in the upper garment, 
and some carry a cloth on the arm for this purpose. The 
wealthy class wear turbans, some of them of permanent 
shape, but, for the most part, they consist of a long piece of 
cloth wrapped and folded about the head in conformity to 
the rule of the caste to which the wearer belongs. 

It may be safely said that two-thirds of the people of 
India never wear shoes, and stockings are practically un- 
known among the natives. Some who have adopted the 



336 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

English style of dress wear both shoes and stockings, but 
their number is very small. Leather is supposed to be un- 
clean, and hence is not in favor. " It is common for the 
most dignified and refined gentlemen to come into one's 
presence with naked feet, leaving their shoes outside the 
room." 

Women's dress consists ordinarily of a bodice and a 
long garment called a sari. The latter is a piece of cloth of 
various materials and colors, according to the wealth and 
taste of the wearer, about a yard wide and from eight to fif- 
teen yards in length, so wrapped and folded about the 
body as to cover it, except one arm and shoulder. The 
fashions in India never change; indeed, such a thing as fash- 
ion in dress, as it is known in Europe and America, does not 
exist here. It may be safely said, that for three thousand 
years there has been but little change in wearing apparel. 

In a preceding chapter I referred to the great love for 
jewelry innate in the women of India. There are eight 
principal kinds of ornaments worn. Nose-rings, earrings, 
necklaces, bracelets, armlets worn about the elbows, finger- 
rings, anklets and toe-rings. Finger-rings, earrings and 
nose-rings are also worn by men. The jewelry worn by one 
woman sometimes weighs as much as sixteen pounds. 
Among the rich, gold and silver, with pearls and precious 
stones, are worn. Others use ivory, plated metal, and glass, 
while the poor use brass and even bracelets made of wood. 
The ears, the nose, the fingers and toes, the arms, and the 
lower limbs, from ankle to knee, are often literally covered 
with jewelry. 

At Bulsar I bought, for a couple of rupees, the brass 
arm-rings from the woman who served us as water carrier. 
She had twenty-two on each arm, and from wrist to elbow 
her arms were literally encased in brass. As she was quite 



HOME-LIFE. 337 

old, we had some hope that she might use the money for a 
better purpose, but in the afternoon she appeared with her 
arms covered with new brass rings. She was much pleased 
with her bargain, for she had secured new rings for her old 
ones, and had been able to add a few more to the number. 

What did I want with this heathen woman's brass arm- 
rings, do you ask? To show some of our jewelry-loving 
people at home how their Indian sisters can excel them in 
display. 

But little attention is given to the attire of small chil- 
dren. Until the offspring of the wealthy attain to their 
third or fourth year, they are entirely innocent of all cloth- 
ing. A silver chain is sometimes fastened around the waist, 
to which a charm is attached to keep away the evil spirits; 
bracelets and anklets also encircle the tiny limbs at a very 
early age. The children of the poor go as do those of the 
rich, except that if a charm be worn, it is fastened to the 
body with a brass chain or string, and that the time when 
propriety demands that the small dhoti be worn is at the 
age of six or seven years. 

The home-life of the people, so far as we are able to 
judge from our limited association with them, seems to be 
pleasant and happy. The children are light-hearted, play 
about their homes and appear to enjoy life. In many 
places kite-flying is a great source of amusement, among 
both boys and men. They are kind-hearted and gentle, 
and, except those who are degraded by the idolatry of the 
Saktists, it is a pleasure to meet them. The women are the 
most superstitious and fanatical concerning their religion, 
and it is hard to turn them away from their idols. They 
can be reached only by women, hence the importance of 
having women in the fields as missionaries. Zenana work, 
i. c, work among the native women, is of the utmost impor- 



338 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

tance. For, although she is not considered her husband's 
equal, she has a commanding influence in the home. 

To illustrate this, Dr. Mansell, at Agra, told us that a 
native once came to him and asked to be baptized; during 
the interview the man's wife came and upbraided him for 
forsaking their gods, and ended by saying if he were bap- 
tized she would go home and jump into the well. In this 
way she succeeded in intimidating her husband, and he nev- 
er was baptized. " Would she have carried out her threat if 
you had baptized the man?" we asked the doctor. " Yes! 
and that too, in the full belief that she would go directly to 
heaven because of her self-sacrifice," was the reply. 

One lamentable failure among the people is their disre- 
gard for the truth. We know some people in the United 
States who are afflicted in this way, but here the failing is 
quite general. They do not seem to have any conscience in 
the matter, and the missionaries tell us that one of the 
greatest difficulties they have is to get those who unite with 
them to understand that it is wrong to tell an untruth, or to 
take things belonging to others. Mr. Taylor, the Quaker 
missionary, told us that this was the most trying thing he 
had to contend with among his people. 

At Calcutta it was our good fortune to find a home with 
Mr. and Mrs. A. Jewson, Baptist missionaries. Mrs. J. has a 
large orphanage and is doing a good work among the chil- 
dren. While with them we had occasion to go to an office 
in a distant part of the city. A cab was called and Mrs. 
Jewson directed the driver in Bengali where to go, and then 
asked if he knew the place. " Yes, yes, quite well," was the 
reply. She turned to us and said, " He says he knows the 
place, but I am quite sure he is not telling the truth; you 
will have to inquire on the way." For the moment we felt 
that Mrs, Jewson was a little too severe, but it turned out 



UNTRUTHFULNESS AND DISHONESTY. 339 

just as she said. The man didn't know the place, and we 
reached it only after considerable trouble. Our hostess 
knew the native characteristics much better than we. 

Mr. Pool, who spent many years in India, says, " Un- 
truthfulness and dishonesty are bad traits of eastern charac- 
ter. To tell a lie, seems, I am afraid, to many Hindus and 
Mohammedans, as natural as to tell the truth. I was fortu- 
nate in my servants in India; but still, every now and then 
something would disappear from the house. I would miss 
money from my pockets, and writing paper from my desk, 
and various curiosities I had collected would vanish, and no 
more be seen or heard of." Once he missed a valuable um- 
brella; he called his servants together to assist in finding it, 
but the search was in vain. At night he searched on his 
own account and found the missing article carefully hidden 
away behind a piece of furniture. He concluded to leave it 
there till morning and teach the servants a lesson. After 
breakfast he called them in, but the thief had been too 
sharp for him; the umbrella was no longer there. He con- 
cludes the incident by saying, "Words fail me to describe 
my chagrin as to the discovery. As for the servants, not a 
muscle of their countenances moved, though I could see 
from the sparkle in their eyes that they were enjoying my 
discomfiture. I had to buy another umbrella." 

The untruthfulness and dishonesty among the people is 
not to be wondered at when the character of some of the 
gods they worship is known. A nation never rises above its 
highest ideals. The tendency is to come far below them. 
The Christian has the life and character and teaching of a 
perfect Savior to follow, and how far we fall below that life 
and character! The Hindu gods, especially Shiva and 
Krishna, two of the most popular deities, are credited with 
lying, stealing, adultery and many other wicked things. 



340 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

It has been stated that the people are really better than 
the gods they worship, and after looking into the facts, we 
are prepared to say that many of them are far better than 
their religion or their gods. 

We can never be too thankful for our pure and holy re- 
ligion. We are only better than these people because we 
worship the true God and have his Son for our Savior. 
And it is only as we assimilate his holy life and pure char- 
acter, and make him manifest in our daily living, that we 
show to the world that we are Christians in the true sense of 
the word. Obedience and conformity to his will and law 
there must be, but this is not enough. We must have the 
Christ-life in us. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Interest in Indian People — Inquisitiveness — Cheap Labor — Brick- 
layers at Work — Human Sawmills — Marriage Ceremonies — 
Child Marriage — A Double Wedding — Pan and Flowers — The 
Bridegroom' s Procession — Ceremonies — Large Sums of Money 
Expended — The Hindu Child — Namegiving Ceremony — Boring 
the Ears — A Visit to Col. Ansel — A Missionary Cocoanut Tree — 
Toddy — The Toddy Climber. 

One might fill volume after volume with interesting ob- 
servations on the peculiarities of the people of India, and 
not exhaust the subject. In the compass of this book space 
is not afforded to give a lengthy account of all that was 
seen, however interesting it might be. I was intensely in- 
terested along these lines of investigation, and am giving 
more space to this phase of Indian life than otherwise 
would have been done. 

Both in thought and action the Oriental differs radical- 
ly from us Westerners, and these differences are not, on his 
part, the result of accident, but are deeply wrought into the 
very life and nature of the people by custom and tradition 
thirty centuries old. Those over-sanguine people who 
come to India with a fixed determination to change the 
present status in a few months or years, will, if their lives be 
prolonged, grow gray and depart in ripe old age, and see 
the Orient as it was when they came. Verily the Oriental 
changes not hastily. 

To us it seems as if the eastern people were doing ev- 
erything backward. To them, however, it no doubt seems 
that -we are the ones who do things the wrong way. Upon 

(3H) 



342 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

entering a house, if they wear shoes at all, they take them 
off and keep their heads covered. We keep our shoes on 
our feet and consider it impolite to enter the house without 
removing our hats. Why? Simply because custom says 
we shall do so. And is our custom better than theirs? 
They carry no dirt into your house on their shoes. But the 
differences are legion. "Their saws have the teeth set 
towards the handle, and the carpenter pulls it towards him; 
their screws turn the wrong way; their writing begins at the 
wrong end; they beckon with their fingers downward; and, 
strangest of all, if a man wishes to spite his enemy he occa- 
sionally does so by hurting himself." This last method is 
so novel, and would be, in our judgment, such a good thing 
for those who are disposed to be quarrelsome at home that 
we venture to recommend that it be given a trial. 

Another peculiarity of the native is his innate curios-, 
ity. At home there is a common saying that a woman's 
curiosity is limited only by her ability to find things out. 
Here the men excel the women in this trait, and, perhaps, if 
the truth were known, the same statement would fit among 
ourselves. This peculiarity is apparent on every hand. 
When at Bulsar, Brother Stover and the writer frequently 
walked about the town and country. Upon meeting an ac- 
quaintance, after the usual greetings had been exchanged, 
the following questions always followed: "Where are you 
going? What are you going for?" or "Where have you 
been and what did you go there for?" Among the house 
servants who are always men, the secrets of your home are 
known. What you eat, what you do, how you talk to your 
wife and children — if you are blessed with wife and children 
— is the common property of the neighborhood. Pool says 
"that the servants will obtain keys to open drawers and 
desks when the master's back is turned, and will count 



Curiosity. 343 

money and read any correspondence they find, if they can. 
I have known a packet of love letters to disappear for a 
few days, and then be brought back again. In all probabil- 
ity the precious parcel was placed for a while in the hands 
of some one who could read English, and who, for a consid- 
eration, would tell the inquisitive servant what the contents 
were." At one of the hotels we noticed an officer's servant 
carefully examining the contents of his master's trunk, 
looking over papers, letters, etc. Of course the officer was 
absent. 

A native, writing of this peculiarity, says: "I have ob- 
served there is a great difference between Hindus and Euro- 
peans in this respect. An Englishman is offended if you 
ask him where he is going, where he has come from, his ob- 
ject in coming, his profession, the amount of his salary and 
the like; whereas a Hindu regards such inquiries as an indi- 
cation of polite and kindly interest in him. He will answer 
freely, though not always truthfully, all queries, and will, by 
magnifying his salary, seek to give you a high opinion of 
his importance." May it not be barely possible that while 
the Hindu is too inquisitive we have gone to the other ex- 
treme and do not take kindly and polite interest enough in 
each other's affairs? 

The peculiar methods of doing work in India are also a 
source of interest. Labor is cheap because the supply is 
largely in excess of the demand. We have seen hundreds 
of men slowly and laboriously sawing great logs into boards 
by hand. A long saw, a platform on which the log is laid, 
one man above, another below to pull and push the saw, 
and you have an Indian sawmill. In Bombay we saw the 
harness-makers holding the leather firmly between the soles 
of their feet while they did the stitching with their hands. 



344 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

The carpenter, in like manner, uses his feet as a kind of a 
vise while he makes the mortise. 

By the side of our hotel a building is in course of con- 
struction. We have watched with interest the people at 
work. The bricklayer sits down, as described in a previous 
chapter, at his work, the mortar and brick are carried to him 
by women who bear their burdens on top of the head, one 
of them carrying fourteen large-sized bricks at one time. 
Here are a number of men and women digging a founda- 
tion. The men have heavy, broad hoes with which they 
loosen the earth and throw it out of the trench. Others, 
with similar hoes, scrape it into the conical-shaped baskets, 
each holding about half a bushel. Then the women carry it 
away on their heads. When the excavation becomes too 
deep for the workmen to throw the earth out with hoes it is 
scraped into baskets and lifted out by being handed from 
one workman to another until the top is reached. Shovels 
are not used and wheelbarrows are unknown. And it was a 
surprise to us to see how much they accomplished in their 
way of working. 

And this brings me to consider the amount of wages 
paid for labor in India. But first a word about their money. 
The silver rupee, supposed to be worth fifty cents, is the 
unit of value. It is divided into sixteen annas, these in- 
to four pice, and these again into twelve pi. The cowry 
shell also circulates, as many as fifty-six of them being val- 
ued at one pice, or say one-fourth of one cent. The rupee, 
notwithstanding the fact that it bears the government stamp 
and, when at par, is worth fifty cents, is in fact worth only 
the market value of the silver it contains. When we landed 
at Bombay we received on our bills of exchange rupee:? at 
the rate of 28 j4 cents each. It was like buying half dollar 
pieces for 28)4 cents. This depreciation in the unit of val- 



wages. 345 

ue bears heavily on all who work for wages. Wages remain 
the same while the purchasing power of the money they get 
grows less. That we may readily calculate the amount of 
wages received we place the rupee at 30 cents and the anna 
at two cents, whjch is a little more than their real value. 

At Cawnpore Mr. Bond — a large manufacturer whom 
we met at Jerusalem, and at whose home in India we made 
a very pleasant visit — told me that he paid his head carpen- 
ter fifteen rupees, and those who worked under the foreman 
ten rupees per month. In Illinois, a few years ago, we paid 
as much per day to the carpenters who put up a small 
building for us. For ordinary labor he paid from six to 
eight rupees per month while field men received two annas 
per day. 

The superintendent of one of the large tea farms in 
Bengal, whom we met on our way to Darjeeling, gave me 
the following rate of wages paid to workmen in the cultiva- 
tion of tea: Men six to eight rupees per month, women four 
to six and children two to three rupees per month. Of 
course it must be understood that in all these cases the 
workmen find their own food and keep themselves. 

On the railways native engineers receive from twelve to 
twenty-five rupees per month. At home I have heard of 
engineers receiving from seventy-five to one hundred dol- 
lars per month, and then striking for higher wages. The 
trackman gets six to ten rupees per month and feels that he 
is doing remarkably well. 

How laborers can live on such wages is a mystery, but 
they succeed in doing it and look as if they were well fed, 
and appear to be happy. Their clothing costs but a trifle. 
They don't spend their substance for whiskey and beer. 
They don't waste their money in riotous living; and their 
wants are few and easily supplied. Some writer has said 



346 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

that happiness consists in having but few wants. If this be 
a correct test, then the working people of India must be 
happy, for their wants are very few indeed. 

For the social economist this cheap labor presents an 
important problem, especially since it is more than likely to 
come into active competition with our labor at home. Al- 
ready its effect is being felt in Europe, and the British Gov- 
ernment has raised a storm of indignation in India by tax- 
ing cotton cloth that is produced here, so that the product 
of Lancashire looms may be protected. It is not our prov- 
ince to enter into this question, but it will be well for our 
workmen at home to learn habits of economy and save their 
money against the day when competition with this cheap 
labor comes, for sooner or later it will come. 

As already stated, the orthodox Hindu is bound by tra- 
ditions and customs older than the Christian era, and these 
customs bind every operation of life in India. The able 
author of "Buddhism, Brahmanism and Hinduism," who 
spent many years in making a careful and exhaustive study 
of social life in India, tells us that each man finds himself 
cribbed and confined in all his movements, and fettered in 
all he does by the most minute traditional regulations. He 
sleeps and wakes, dresses and undresses, sits down and 
stands up, goes out and comes in, eats and drinks, speaks 
and is silent, acts and refrains from acting, according to an- 
cient rule. And by this rule the intervention of the priestly 
caste begins with his first unconscious existence as a living 
organism. From that moment to death, and even long aft- 
er death, every Hindu is held to be the lawful property of 
the priests, who exact fees for many offices performed on 
his behalf. 

And here we may impress a lesson that will, if heeded, 
be helpful to us. Custom and tradition must always give 



CHILD MARRIAGE. 347 

way to the truth; otherwise they bind upon the human race 
burdens that God never intended we should bear. There is 
always a present danger of placing undue importance upon 
any practice of the church simply because it has become a 
traditional custom. The Gospel of Jesus Christ must be our 
only standard, and as we receive the light and truth re- 
vealed in the "Perfect Law of Liberty" we shall be free 
from all customs based only upon ancient usage and tradi- 
tion. 

One of the chief concerns of the Hindu parents is to 
have their children suitably married, and this concern takes 
precedence of all others'. The first thought is not for the 
child's health, "not for its wealth, not for its physical, men- 
tal or moral well being, but for its betrothal and marriage." 
When the boy has reached the age of five or six years a 
wife is usually selected for him, and this is sometimes done 
at even an earlier age. Of course in this important matter 
the children are never consulted. In making the arrange- 
ments, the services of a priest or professional matchmaker 
are required, and his fee depends upon the wealth of the 
parent. He looks about until he finds a little girl from two 
to four years old of the same caste as the boy, and reports 
to the prospective bridegroom's father. A meeting of the 
parents of both children is then arranged for, and when all 
is satisfactorily completed the betrothal takes place. This 
is the first of the three acts in the marriage drama. 

It is but just to say that money is quite a secondary 
consideration in Hindu marriages. In some cases it is an 
operative element, but this is not the rule. Caste stands 
first and physical conditions next on the list of marriage re- 
quirements. Neither does love between the parties to the 
marriage have any consideration. This is supposed to 
come after marriage. 



348 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

The second act in the drama takes place when the chil- 
dren have reached the respective ages of about seven and 
ten, and is of a religious character. Then, when the boy 
has reached his fifteenth or sixteenth year, and the girl her 
eleventh or twelfth, the final wedding ceremony is celebrat- 
ed amid great festivities and rejoicing, and the children be- 
come husband and wife and set up housekeeping in the 
home of the bridegroom's father. 

Child marriage is undoubtedly one of the great social 
evils in India to-day. In 1891 the government passed a law 
forbidding the actual marriage of girls under twelve years 
of age, but it is a difficult matter to enforce the law. Par- 
ents in their great anxiety to have their children married do 
not hesitate to tell an untruth as to their ages, and in this 
way the wise provision of the law is evaded. The entire 
question of child marriage with attendant evils is one that 
appeals strongly to the sympathy of those who are ac- 
quainted with all the facts. 

One among the many sad features of child marriage is 
that if the boy husband dies after his betrothal, his child- 
wife is doomed to perpetual widowhood; so it often occurs 
that little girls three or four years old are widows. The lot 
of this unfortunate class is a sad one indeed. She must 
have her hair cut close to her head, and in India it is a 
shame for a woman to have her head shaven or shorn. She 
is allowed to eat but one meal a day and becomes a mere 
household drudge. This sad condition of widowhood 
doubtless was one of the causes that led some of them to 
prefer death by burning on the funeral pyre of the husband 
rather than face their lot in life. 

On the subject of child marriage we glean some further 
thoughts from a tract on the subject published by the Chris- 
tian Literature Society of Madras, India: 



CHILD MARRIAGE. 349 

In most countries of the world, men do not marry till 
they are able to support a wife; but in India mere children 
are often thus united. The first marriage is properly a be- 
trothal, a contract to marry at a future time. Practically, 
however, it has the force of marriage, for if the boy-husband 
dies the infant wife is condemned to perpetual widowhood. 
The age at which marriage takes place varies in different 
parts of the country, and among different castes. Certain 
classes betroth even infants. The last census of the small 
native state of BarOda shows that 132 males and 558 females 
were married before they had completed their first year! 

Two of the causes which led to the modern custom of 
early marriage may be noticed: 

1. During centuries of invasion and disorder, it was 
desirable that every Hindu woman should have a protector 
for life as early as possible. 

2. The desire to have sons to perform certain cere- 
monies. A childless man who has no son to make offerings 
for him is said to fall into the hell called////. Putra, a son, 
is supposed to mean one who saves from hell. 

It is justly claimed that the large proportion of widows 
in India is partly owing to early marriage. About one- 
third of all that are born die before they are five years of 
age. Others are cut off in youth. If mere girls are mar- 
ried, it is plain that a number of their husbands must die 
before they attain puberty. The unhappy girls are, accord- 
ing to Hindu usage, doomed to be widows for life. 

In an earnest appeal against child marriage to the edu- 
cated Hindus of India a native Christian writer says: 

" Of course you may look upon such an occurrence as 
the death of a child-wife in this way as nothing, you before 
whom these wives must stand in silence, and who must wor- 
ship you as gods. The traditions of ages have blinded you, 



350 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

so that you cannot see this matter in its real nature. From 
the very nature of the relationship your forefathers have ar- 
rogated to themselves towards women and handed down to 
you, it is impossible that you could have a real conception 
of the heinousness of this custom. If your women are re- 
garded by you as so inferior that you can only look upon 
yourselves as gods in comparison to them, if you look upon 
them merely as a means of raising children, to celebrate 
certain ceremonies over your remains when you condescend 
to die; or if you look upon them merely as cooks and 
drudges; if you not merely look upon them in these lights, 
but if your very nature is saturated with these ideas, and 
you regard them as founded on an inviolable religious foun- 
dation, I say, how could it be possible that you should se- 
riously regard any treatment you might choose to mete out 
to your women as either harsh or cruel? You look upon 
your women as chattels, as ' your own . . . your ' females ' 
as you call them. It never occurs to you that they are, 
equally with you, citizens of the empire, so that no matter 
what your fantastic notions of your own importance may be, 
the rulers of this empire being bound to protect all the citi- 
zens, without distinction, from violence or insult are bound 
to come forward and teach you what, through no fault of 
yours, you do not seem to know, viz., that this custom is a 
brutal one, and that as it interferes with the comfort and 
safety and imperils the" lives of certain of Her Majesty's 
subjects in India, you must relinquish it." 

We visited the school of Mr. Umbalal Desai at Bulsar, 
where a large number of boys — none apparently above six- 
teen years — were studying English. Judge our surprise 
when we were told that the most of them were married and 
some of them were fathers. A prominent teacher tells us 
that he has frequently examined the classes in the Indian 



DOUBLE WEDDING AT BULSAR. 35 1 

high schools, in which most of the boys were fathers. The 
girls, of course, receive but little education. 

While we sojourned at the mission house at Bulsar we 
attended two weddings, one in company with our mission- 
aries and some Parsi friends, and the other with Mr. La 
Personne, a warm personal friend of our missionaries. One 
of these was a double wedding, the father wisely choosing 
to have one series of ceremonies for both his boys at the 
same time. Perhaps it would be better to say that we at- 
tended a part of the ceremony, for the festivities continue 
sometimes for eight days, and large sums of money are 
spent. At those we attended, the bridegrooms were pre- 
paring to set out upon a visit to the homes of the brides. 
We reached the place about nine o'clock in the evening. 
Seats were given us on the veranda, and bouquets, garlands 
of flowers, and the inevitable " pan," were presented to us. 
We were received with much cordiality and made to feel 
welcome. The father of the boy said he was very glad, in- 
deed, that we came to the wedding. 

From our seats on the veranda we had a good view of 
the proceedings. The first thing that took place was the 
bathing of the bridegroom. A platform was placed on the 
street in front of the house, vessels of water were brought, 
and the bath completed, the boy was enveloped in a white 
robe, and carried into his dressing room. In the meantime 
a number of men were making night hideous with tom- 
toms, drums and cracked horns. Each one seemed intent 
upon making as much noise as possible, and this passed for 
music; the musicians were hired for the occasion. So far as 
noise was concerned they easily outdid the .brass band at 
home. Torches flashed on every hand, and the house and 
surroundings were beautifully illuminated. 

Presently the bridegroom appeared, adorned for his 



352 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

bride. He was placed on a richly-caparisoned horse, glit- 
tering in gold and silver tinsel. After he was seated a veil 
of fragrant flowers was thrown over his head and he was 
literally covered with beautiful white blossoms, which also 
partly enveloped the horse. The procession now started, 
but it moved very slowly. In fact, after moving a few feet, 
it stopped and a collection was taken up for the bride. All 
were invited to give, and all did give. Then, amid the 
flashing torches and the loud, discordant music, the proces- 
sion moved away and we retired. It reminded us somewhat 
of going out to meet the bridegroom, to which our Savior 
refers in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. In 
the procession we noticed many girls bearing lamps and 
torches. 

Among the wealthy the marriage ceremonies are kept 
up for a number of days and the houses of both bridegroom 
and bride are decorated with flowers and paint, and at night 
are brilliantly illuminated with lamps and Chinese lanterns. 
The savings of a lifetime are often spent in wedding festivi- 
ties. Custom, as some one says, compels the well-to-do 
parent to squander large sums of money on mere idlers and 
pleasure-seekers, instead of giving it to aid the newly-mar- 
ried pair in starting in life for themselves. If he were to 
practice economy in a wedding he would never be able to 
hold up his head among his neighbors. The more lavishly 
he spends money the more pride and satisfaction he has in 
looking back upon what he regards as the most meritorious 
act in his life. 

We should not, however, judge the Hindu too severely. 
Our home papers bring us the account of a princely wed- 
ding in New York. Two hundred thousand dollars is the 
amount said to have been expended in decorations and lav- 
ish display. We are also forced to say that even among 




Tamil Woman. 



NAME-GIVING. 355 

our own professedly plain people weddings are sometimes 
made the occassion of spending money uselessly. 

The final religious ceremony of an orthodox Hindu 
wedding takes place after the festivities. A priest fastens 
one end of a piece of consecrated cloth to the dress of the 
bride and the other end to that of the bridegroom. Their 
hands are joined under this cloth and sometimes their faces 
are marked with red paint. A sacred cord is wound about 
the necks of the pair by a priest who mutters a Vedic pray- 
er. The placing of the bridegroom's hands in milk, the 
sprinkling of rice and cocoanut milk, eating together and 
sitting for some time face to face follow. Then the bride 
and bridegroom go to one of the temples and worship the 
idol, after which the bride goes to the house of her father- 
in-law and takes up her abode. The sacred fire which is 
kindled during the wedding festivities is taken to the home 
and is supposed to be kept burning continually. 

From birth until it is betrothed and married, a child 
is subjected to many religious ceremonies. We have space 
for only a very few of these. When the child is only six 
days old it is believed that one of the gods writes its future 
destiny upon its forehead, and from the fate thus recorded, 
invisible to human eyes though it be, there is no escape. 
So, when the Hindu widow bewails her sad lot, her language 
is s-aid to be, " Oh Parvati, why didst thou write all this suf- 
fering upon my forehead! " 

At ten days the name-giving ceremony takes place. It 
is then for the first time fed solid food in the shape of a 
little boiled rice. Boys are often named after the favorite 
gods, and the names of Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Gopala and 
Ganesa are quite common. Of course the name-giving is a 
religious ceremony, and has its counterpart in the Roman 
Catholic and many of the Protestant churches in the rite 



356 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

known as christening or infant baptism. A name is given 
to the child and a few drops of water are sprinkled upon 
the forehead. 

The next ordeal to which the Hindu child is subjected 
is that of ear-boring, and this is also regarded as a religious 
rite. Both boys and girls have their ears bored, and the 
girls, and sometimes the boys, have the same operation per- 
formed on the nose. The rule is to make two or three holes 
in each ear and one in the nose, but we have seen many 
girls with no less than six holes in the outer rim of each ear, 
each large enough to insert a goose quill. Among the 
Tamil girls in southern India it is the custom to cut a large 
opening into the lower lobe of the ear. Heavy rings are 
worn, and the weight of these draws the lobe down until it 
almost touches the shoulder We saw many Tamil girls 
and women in Ceylon with openings in the ears so large 
that two fingers could easily be inserted at the same time. 
A glance at the picture of the Tamil woman on page 353 
will show how the weight of the heavy metal rings worn 
has drawn the ear down and disfigured it. The only rea- 
son assigned for this custom is that it is the fashion and it 
is presumable that the Tamil woman would as soon be out 
of the world as to be out of fashion. 

The original scope of this work did not include a con- 
tinuous record of our long journey around the world. To 
give such a record in detail would very far exceed the limits 
of our space. Not what to write, but what not to write, is 
the puzzling question amid the mass of rich material con- 
stantly coming under our observation as we journey through 
the wonderland of the Orient. We must be content to 
glean, and so pass over many things of much interest. 

During our stay at Bulsar, in company with Brother 
Stover, we visited Col. Ansell at his cocoanut plantation on 



COCOANUT PLANTATION. 359 

the seashore, not many miles away. The colonel played a 
prominent part on the losing side in the War of the Rebel- 
lion. He was taken prisoner, but escaped, leaving the 
country and coming to India where he has since resided. 
Here he turned his attention to the cultivation of the cocoa- 
nut palm and is now the owner of a large plantation. In 
order to reach his place we were driven across the country 
in a bullock cart, — a two-wheeled vehicle without springs, 
drawn by a pair of oxen. The box, fitted on the cart, is 
provided with bOws over which is spread a white canvas 
cover to shelter the occupants from the rays of the sun. 
Rice straw is placed in the box and a quilt is spread over it, 
and upon this you are supposed to sit. This is all well 
enough for the natives who sit upon their feet, but for us 
the only thing was to lie down and take the jolting as it 
came. The driver sat on the tongue and kept the bullocks 
going at a dog trot. When a piece of rough road was 
passed over, the shaking can be better imagined than de- 
scribed. 

Col. Ansell received us with genuine Southern hospital- 
ity and seemed greatly to enjoy talking of old times and of 
the homeland from which he has been a self-exile for nearly 
a third of a century. And we also enjoyed our stay very 
much, indeed, in his typical Indian home. A few years ago 
his wife died, of whom he spoke with much tenderness of 
feeling and not without tears, and since then he lives alone 
with his Hindu servants, the only white person on the plan- 
tation. 

We rambled over the place in the cool of the day, the 
feathery crests of the palms affording a delightful shade 
and protection from the rays of the tropical sun. The colo- 
nel's Indian servant climbed nimbly up to the crown of the 
trees and brought down nuts full of sweet, fresh milk and 



360 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

rich meat. We regaled ourselves with a draught of nature's 
refreshing beverage and ate of the fruit of the nut, and 
found both much better here where they are grown than the 
imported ones we get at home. Col. Ansell takes a special 
interest in our missionaries, and having read in the Messen- 
ger the proposition, made a year and a half ago by Bro. A. 
M. T. Miller, set apart a cocoanut tree for the missionary 
orchard. From the tree we have two cocoanuts in their or- 
iginal husks. If we reach home in safety, one will hang in 
the Secretary's office and the other in our own home. 

The cocoanut palm is grown in India for the nuts and 
for the sap or milk that is drawn from it. This forms the 
well-known toddy, which is drunk all over India. It is 
sweet, refreshing and wholesome when first drawn, but it 
soon ferments and then becomes quite intoxicating. The 
tree begins bearing at ten years and as it increases in age 
and size produces a larger quantity of nuts, some of the 
best producing trees bearing from fifty to one hundred each 
year. These develop and ripen in one year, and are sold at 
about $2.00 per 100. 

Trees that are tapped for toddy do not bear fruit, as 
the sap is necessary to develop the nuts. The tap is made 
at the crown where the fronds, or limbs, as we should call 
them, are thrown out. Earthen vessels are hung to the 
tree, into which the milk falls and is gathered each day by 
men who are called "toddy climbers." These men climb up 
the trunk of the tree to a height of irom forty to sixty feet, 
empty the sap from the smaller to a larger vessel fastened 
to the back and descend with great ease and dexterity. A 
full-grown tree produces twenty gallons of milk each year, 
and this is drawn in alternate weeks during three months of 
the year. For nine months the tree is allowed to rest and 
recuperate. 




The Toddy Climbers. 



TODDY CLIMBER. 363 

Toddy is the one intoxicating drink of the natives of 
India, and the government licenses the sale of the liquor. 
Each tree tapped is numbered by the inspector and the 
owner must pay a tax of from forty-five to ninety cents, de- 
pending on the size of the tree. The owner gets about fifty 
cents per year for the milk of each tree in excess of the tax. 
Some idea of the amount of toddy consumed in India ma)' 
be formed when it is stated that the men who control the 
sale of the intoxicant in Bulsar, a city of fifteen thousand 
souls, pay an annual license of three thousand dollars. For 
these figures we are indebted to Mr. Niswongee, General In- 
spector of the Bulsar district. 

There are fifteen toddy-shops in Bulsar. These are 
open sheds under which the dealer sits with a large tub, — 
the one we saw was shaped like the half of a kerosene oil 
barrel, — filled with the liquor before him. In his hand he 
has a long-handled dipper. In the evening his customers 
crowd around him and he is kept busy dipping and filling 
the vessels of the thirsty natives. Sometimes a dozen ves- 
sels are held up at the same time to be filled. The dealer 
serves each in order from the small chattie that holds half a 
pint to the larger one with capacity for a gallon. After be- 
ing served the natives squat in groups on the open space 
about the shop and drink and gossip. Men and women 
alike indulge. Near by is the pan seller and the rule is that 
after drinking a "chew" must be taken. Here, as at home, 
drinking, chewing and smoking seem to have a kind of af- 
finity with each other. At least the first, as a rule, is asso- 
ciated with the second and third. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Leaving Our Bulsar Home — Northward to Jeypore — Slaughter of 
Innocents — Man-Eating Tigers — The Sacred Crocodiles — The 
Idols in Jeypore — State Elephants — Agra — The Beautiful Taj 
Mahal — "An Elegy in Marble" - The Gateway — The Garden 

— The Marble Screen — Snake Charmers — Indian Jugglers — 
The Conjurer Khali Khan — Wonderful Feats — The Mango Tree 

— How the Trick is Performed — Claims to Supernatural Power 
Disproved. 

From Bulsar and our mission home, — henceforth to be 
a green spot in our memories, an oasis in the desert of trav- 
el, — we journeyed northward and eastward, visiting a num- 
ber of the most important cities in India. We left our 
India home with real and deep regret. How we missed the 
sweet, homelike atmosphere of Christian love that pervaded 
the place where we had so much enjoyed the Christian as- 
sociation of those we love. Then there was the social wor- 
ship, the singing of Gujerati hymns, the public meetings 
and the quiet, peaceful, restful days — how we did enjoy 
them all! All too soon for us those bright days of glad sun- 
shine passed away, and before we fully realized it the time 
for our departure was at hand. Those whom we had met 
but a short time before as strangers, we now bade farewell 
as warm-hearted friends, some of them even going with us 
to the station at two o'clock in the morning. Our mission- 
aries, as in apostolic clays, accompanied us on our journey 
as far as Calcutta. We said good-by to Bulsar, strong in 
the hope that in the years to come it will be one of the 

strongholds of primitive Christianity in India. 
(364) 



MAN-EATING TIGERS. 365 

Journeying northward the air grows colder and more 
bracing, and in the evening and morning warm wraps added 
to our comfort. The country becomes less densely wooded, 
and the jungles less numerous, but still frequent enough to 
serve as hiding places for tigers and leopards. The man- 
eating tiger is a terror to the natives, who are ill prepared to 
contend with their powerful foe. At Jeypore eight of these 
animals are imprisoned as state captives. It is said that 
each of them has tasted human blood. They crouch at the 
bars of their cages and glare upon those who pass by. One 
of them has devoured seven, another ten human beings. In 
any other country these animals would have been shot. 
Here pitfalls were made for them, and after much patient 
waiting they were ensnared. They were allowed to remain 
in the pit until hunger had reduced them to the last extrem- 
ity of weakness, when their captors managed to draw them 
forth and shut them up as lifelong prisoners.* From such 
prisons zoological gardens and menageries in other parts of 
the world are supplied with the royal denizens of India's 
jungles. 

We pass through, with brief stop, the Mohammedan 
city of Ahmedabad, with one hundred and fifty thousand in- 
habitants. It was founded A. D. 141 1 by the Sultan Ah- 
med I., whose name in part it bears. Here are a number of 
old Mohammedan mosques, noted for their architectural 
beauty and for the marvelous delicacy of the carvings in 
stone. They are the boast of the city, and are always 
shown to visitors. We hurried on, however, without visit- 
ing the mosques, having in mind a visit to the architectural 
pearl of all India, the Taj Mahal at Agra. 

From Ahmedabad, continuing our journey northward, 
we traverse the large district of Rajpunata, containing a 

* Arnold. 



366 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

population of about ten million. Here the sin of female in- 
fanticide was once so common that more than half the little 
girls born were put to death by their parents. In 1871 the 
census showed, in the Rajput population of Oudh, 250,849 
males living above ten years of age, to only 184,623 females. 
It is claimed that the destruction of the innocents has 
ceased, but these figures show how countless were the mur- 
ders of their offspring by these heathen idolaters. 

At Jeypore, the capital of Rajputana, a city with a popu- 
lation bordering on a hundred and fifty thousand, we spent 
a short time in visiting places of interest. It is the seat of 
the rajah, or king, who, as a vassal of England, still enjoys 
the empty title of ruler, with all the pomp and circumstance 
of royalty so dear to the oriental heart. We visited the 
palace and the gardens, and saw something of the eastern 
notion of splendor. The large audience room is richly 
furnished and decorated in the highest style of Indian art. 
Marble floors, magnificent chandeliers and costly furniture 
give the room a fine appearance. Strange to say, pigeons 
are allowed to roost on the chandeliers befouling the marble 
floor beneath. 

In a small lake within the palace garden are kept a 
score of sacred crocodiles. Entering a low doorway we 
found ourselves on a small platform overlooking the lake. 
On the gravelly bank a dozen or more of the huge saurians 
lay basking and sleeping in the hot sun. The attendant had 
a piece of raw meat tied to the end of a rope. This he 
splashed in the water and called out in a loud voice, " Hai, 
Hai." Presently two or three of the monsters moved lazily 
into the water and swam to the platform where we stood. 
There they lay with extended jaws viciously snapping at 
the meat. Between those jaws a man's head would have 
been crushed as an eggshell. The crocodile is sacred to the 



IDOLS AT JEYPORE. 367 

Hindu, and the bodies of thousands of children have been 
thrown to them in the Ganges. Looking into the open jaws 
of the reptiles I marveled at the faith of the mother who 
could tear from her bosom her darling child and throw it 
into those cruel jaws to be crushed to death. This she did 
for her religion. Ignorance and superstition are the devil's 
strongest powers over the human race. I am always afraid 
of ignorance. 

In no other town or city visited in India, up to this 
time, have we seen so many idols as in Jeypore. The city 
is wholly given to idolatry. Temples there are by the score 
where the idols are worshiped with great ceremony by at- 
tendant priests; and no one is allowed to enter the sacred 
portals. Even if you would walk in the outer court, close 
enough to see the stone god, you must take off your shoes. 
But these larger temples do not satisfy the demand of the 
people for idols. In the squares, on street corners, inside 
and outside the city gates, and even in the middle of some 
of the wider streets are shrines, in each of which sits en- 
throned a wooden, a clay, a stone, or a brass god. The fea- 
tures of these are all hideous, and when, in addition to their 
distorted faces, they are daubed over with red paint and 
smeared with dirty oil, they are the very personification of 
ugliness. How people can be induced to worship such ob- 
jects seems strange indeed, but one need spend but a short 
time in India to learn how thoroughly idolatry degrades a 
people. 

But the idols do not always escape harm. Dr. Mansell, 
who has been a missionary in India for some thirty years, 
told us that not infrequently the people break their gods to 
pieces. In one of the villages visited by him the people 
during a severe drought made a large number of images of 
one of their gods and prayed to them continually for rain, 



368 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

but it came not. Then they took all the images out of the 
temples and pounded them to pieces and selected another 
god and set up new idols. As they have countless thou- 
sands to select from, it is not a difficult matter to make a 
change. 

The rajah of Jeypore claims to be descended from an 
unbroken line of one hundred and thirty-nine kings. The 
best blue blood of which English noblemen are so proud is 
but a thing of to-day when compared with these proud rul- 
ers of Rajput. In the museum their portraits adorn the gal- 
leries something as the portraits of the popes do at St. 
Paul's in Rome. 

The elephant stables at Jeypore, it is said, contain one 
hundred of these huge animals. They are used on great 
state occasions when the entire number, richly caparisoned, 
form an important part of the pageant. The present ruler, 
who is also a famous hunter, uses some of them in tiger 
hunting. We saw one of the largest of the state elephants; 
evidently he had been but recently captured, for he was se- 
curely bound with heavy log chains attached to each of his 
four legs. The restless motion of the animal, with the vi- 
cious, wicked look from his small eyes, gave us to under- 
stand as plainly as spoken words what the result would be 
if he were freed from his chains. 

One of the pleasant sights in Jeypore is the feeding of 
the pigeons. In the great open square the birds are fed 
every day, and they come to the feast by thousands. They 
are nearly all the same color, dark blue, and at the feeding 
time the square is a mass of this color. No one thinks of 
hurting them, and they are very tame. The cruel sport of 
pigeon shooting, so common at home, is unknown here. 
The very mention of such a cruelty outrages the feelings of 
the Hindu. 



EMPEROR AKBAR. 37I 

Our next stopping place was at Agra, in some respects 
one of the most interesting cities in India. It was for years 
the capital of the great Mogul Emperors, and here Akbar 
the Great and Tekan Shah built, in marble, mosques, tombs 
and temples, that are to-day among the architectural won- 
ders of the world. Akbar, who reigned at the close of the 
fifteenth century, was an absolute monarch, great in 
achievement, but as cruel a tyrant as ever reigned in India. 
He carried with him a box containing sweetmeats, one side 
of which was filled with caramels made of honey and al- 
monds, the other with sweet-scented lozenges, into which 
had been distilled a most deadly poison. " If Akbar gave 
you a bit of candy from the kind side of his box you were 
in high favor in court, and likely to command a province. 
If he smilingly offered you one from the other, you could 
not refuse, for none dared say 'No!' to Akbar, and your 
mouth for awhile became full of the fragrance of nard and 
myrrh, while you rode hurriedly home in your litter, and 
there died before your golden palace robes could be well 
taken off. They say Akbar himself perished by making a 
mistake one evening when he wished for a sweetmeat."* 

When dead Akbar was laid in a marble tomb, built 
during his lifetime, the like of which the world had not 
seen before, and which after a lapse of more than three 
centuries is one of the wonders of India! But Akbar's 
tomb, beautiful as it was and is, was to be far exceeded by 
one of his successors who built the Taj. We turn to our 
notebook and find what we compiled and wrote at Agra. 

Jan. 18. This afternoon we visited the Taj Mahal, the 
architectural crown of the world. The wonderful beauty 
and magnificent proportions of this marvelous structure 



*" India Revisited." 



372 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

seem now, since I have seen it, like some vision of a half 
waking, half sleeping revery. 

This " Crown of the World " was built by the Sultan 
Shah Jehan 1630-52, as a receptacle for the body of his 
queen, Arjamund Banoo Begum, called the " Pride of the 
Palace," and his own body was afterwards laid to rest in it. 
It has been called " an elegy in marble," in which the royal 
love of the great shah has translated itself into alabaster. 
It was built at a cost of ten million dollars, which would 
mean many times more in Europe or America if the differ- 
ence in wages were added. Twenty thousand men worked 
twenty-two years before the mausoleum was finished, and, 
sad to state, many of the workmen were never paid. In 
Shah Jehan's memoirs it is stated that the masons alone re- 
ceived thirty lakhs or rupees, which at par would represent 
a value of a million and a half dollars. The entire struc- 
ture is of snow-white marble, and much of the vast interior 
is inlaid with precious stones and costly jewels. 

A great gateway opens into the Taj court or garden, 
and is in itself a magnificent structure. It is built of red 
sandstone inlaid with white marble ornaments. The top is 
surmounted with twenty-six white marble cupolas. Impa- 
tient as we were to see the Taj itself, we could not help but 
stop to admire the fine effect of this massive gateway. " It 
is not only beautiful, but it increases the glories of the 
mausoleum itself, by the contrast of its somewhat stern-red 
sandstone with the soft and pearl-white marble of which it 
is built." There are three of these gateways, the main en- 
trance at the south, and the other two at the east and west 
ends of the garden. 

Having entered the gateway there bursts upon the view 
a scene of unequaled beauty. You stand on the border of a 
beautiful garden three hundreds yards long and one hundred 



PEARL OF INDIA. ^75 

and fifty wide, with the flora of India in all its richness be- 
fore you. In the center of the garden is an avenue of state- 
ly cypress trees standing on both sides of a stream of pure 
water, clear as crystal, with twenty fountains. On both 
sides of the avenue are the garden beds, all aglow with 
patches of rich color. The air is laden with the sweet per- 
fume of rose and jasmine, and the choice shrubs and trees 
are alive with feathered songsters, whose soft notes lend a 
rich charm to the scene. You raise your eyes from the 
beauty of the garden, and there meets your astonished vi- 
sion, in all its beauty and grandeur, " the snow-white won- 
der," the Taj itself. It stands in the center of a platform 
faced with white marble, exactly three hundred and thirteen 
feet square and eighteen feet high, with a white marble 
minaret one hundred and thirty-three feet high at each cor- 
ner. The building itself is one hundred and eighty-six feet 
square, with thirty-three and one-half feet cut off at the 
corners. 

I stood before the Taj as if entranced. I wondered 
again and again how human mind and hand could invent 
and fashion anything so wondrously beautiful. I have ad- 
mired the tomb of Napoleon I. at Paris, world renowned for 
its beauty; I have wandered through the Albert memorial 
chapel at Windsor palace, the gem of all Europe, a worthy 
memento of the wifely love and affection of England's 
greatest queen for her dead husband; I have stood beneath 
the dome of St. Peter's at Rome, the ecclesiastical architec- 
tural wonder of the world, and have beheld with amazement 
the beauties of the alabaster mosque at Cairo, but none of 
these are to be compared with the Taj. This pearl of India 
easily bears the palm of victory. 

Entering the great doorway to the central dome — both 
doors of which were at one time of solid silver, but were 



376 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

melted down and coined by one of the shah's more practical 
successors — the wonder increases. Beneath the lofty dome 
lies the dust of the emperor and his wife. Surrounding the 
gem-like tombs is a screen of marble, cut through and 
through into beautiful scrolls and trellis work. Here the 
art of the marble cutter reaches its highest skill. The 
delicate cutting of the screen is like fine lace-work. The 
.columns and borders of the screen, inside and out, the 
tombs and thousands of square feet of the interior of the 
dome are inlaid with precious stones and jewels. It is the 
perfect work of the most skillful jeweler. Graceful vines, 
pendent leaves, fruits, flowers and buds in various colors are 
the forms of embellishment. And these inlaid figures are 
of turquoise, coral, agate, sardonyx and bloodstone, while 
here and there sparkle gems of the first water. 

The echo in the interior is exceedingly fine. A note of 
low, soft music is caught up in the marble vault and ampli- 
fied into a hundred harmonious sounds, swelling out into a 
grand chorus and then dying away into a hushed whisper. 

At the entrance gateway is an inscription which reads, 
" Only the pure in heart shall see the garden of God," while 
on the tomb of Jehan are these words: 

"This world is a bridge; 
Pass on over it, but build not upon it; 
This world is one hour; 
Give its minutes to thy prayers, 
For the rest is unseen." 

Such is the Taj Mahal, and it has its lesson. Built as a 
memento of human love, it shows what the mind can con- 
ceive and the hand finish. The most perfect work of its 
kind in the world, it stands as an evidence of what men are 
willing to do for the objects of their love. How much more 
ought we to do for the One who loved us and died to save 



THE JUGGLER. 37Q 

us! Immeasurably greater than human love was the love 
that brought our Savior down from heaven to endure the 
deepest sorrows that ever wrung the human heart, and to 
die the cruel death of the cross. Surely we ought to be 
ready to consecrate our lives and all we have and are to 
our dear Savior. If Shah Jehan builded so for his favorite 
queen, how much more ought we to build for Christ! Not 
in perishable marble are we called upon to build, but a tem- 
ple in our hearts for the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, sent 
.into the world to comfort and abide with all the disciples of 
Jesus. 

The conjurer and juggler have flourished in the Orient 
ever since the days when Jannes and Jambres withstood 
Moses and succeeded in part, by enchantment or sleight-of- 
hand, in producing imitations of the plagues sent by the 
Lord upon Pharaoh, and thus hardened his heart. You will 
meet the snake-charmer and the sleight-of-hand performer 
even in Egypt to-day, and no doubt they handle their 
serpents much the same as the ancient enchanters handled 
theirs, and play all manner of clever conjuring tricks with 
wonderful dexterity. For aught we know these may be the 
descendants of the old-time -conjurers of the days of Moses. 

But India is the home of the juggler. The Hindus, — ■ 
both young and old, — appear to take the greatest delight in 
their performances, and they are easily led to believe that 
they possess supernatural power. The juggler meets you 
on the street and in front of your hotel, and is always 
ready, with or without your consent, to display his powers, 
hoping in the end to be rewarded for his skill. He carries 
his entire outfit in a small bag, slung over his shoulders, and 
many are the stories told in the books written on India 
about the wonderful tricks he can perform. To some his 
powers appear so remarkable and his performances so 



38o 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



wonderful; that even intelligent men and women have said 
" Surely, these men are more than human." The Spiritual- 
ists at home have long made the claim that the jugglers of 
India have the assistance of departed spirits in the perform- 




SNAKE CHARMER. 



ance of their tricks. So exceedingly clever are they that 
even some of the missionaries have been deceived, and in 
some instances their published descriptions have strength- 
ened the belief held by the Spiritualists. 



CONJURERS IN INDIA. 38 1 

Because of the claims made by the Spiritualists and 
Theosophists, because enchantment and conjuring is a Bi- 
ble subject, and, further, because some of our friends re- 
quested us to investigate the matter carefully, and, if possi- 
ble, prove the truth or falsity of the claims made, we took 
some pains to look into the doings of these men, and have 
concluded to give our readers the result of the investigation. 

The jugglers in India form a distinct class, the business 
descending from father to son for many generations. 
From earliest childhood the training begins. The hands, 
and especially the fingers, are the special objects of train- 
ing. All the secrets of the profession are handed down, 
and the son of a juggler is an adept in the art when he is a 
mere boy. It is not to be wondered at then that, with in- 
herited and acquired ability and with the secrets of genera- 
tions of jugglers in his keeping, he becomes exceedingly 
proficient in his calling. 

We met scores of conjurers during our stay in India and 
Ceylon, and upon the street and in the open space before 
the hotels we saw many of them perform the most sur- 
prising and wonderful tricks. One of them, seated upon 
a white cloth, asked one of those present to lay a silver 
rupee — a coin a trifle smaller than our half dollar — upon the 
cloth. The conjurer then commanded the coin to come to 
him, and immediately it began to move slowly over the 
cloth, and kept on moving until it reached the magician's 
hand. It is needless to add that the owner never saw his 
coin after the juggler's hand closed over it. 

At Agra the noted conjurer, Khali Khan, came to our 
hotel. A number of persons were sitting on the porch, and 
Khali seated himself on the ground and, without the aid of 
an assistant, performed a number of what appeared to us to 
be very wonderful feats. We watched very closely and 



382 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

were unable to solve the mystery of his doings. He mixed 
a quantity of three colored powders — yellow, red and blue — 
in a glass of water, and then swallowed the mixture. Pres- 
ently he blew out of his mouth a quantity of the yellow, red 
and blue powders. From an apparently empty bag, which 
he hammered on the ground, he produced a number of eggs. 
He made balls and coins disappear and reappear in strange 
places and in a remarkable manner. He produced an emp- 
ty basket and handed it around among the spectators for 
examination, and all decided that it was really empty. He 
placed it on the ground, and then lifting it up there ap- 
peared half a dozen beautiful little singing birds. They 
chirped, picked up crumbs thrown to them, and were, with- 
out doubt, real birds. All these things were done with a 
dexterity and cleverness that defied the closest scrutiny. 

Among other things, he performed the mango tree 
trick. The mango is said to be the best fruit in India; when 
ripe it is about the size of an orange and yellow in color. 
The conjurer apparently causes a small tree to grow and 
bear fruit in the space of a very few minutes. We had 
heard much of this extraordinary feat, and it was claimed 
that more than human power was required to perform it. 
It had, however, been noticed that the juggler produced 
the ripe mango only when that fruit was in season. But 
when the time of mangoes had been past several months, — 
the fruit is perishable and can be kept only a short time, — 
here was Khali Khan apparently causing a small mango 
tree to grow and bear ripened fruit. 

As this was one of the most clever tricks performed, I 
give the details: First the conjurer gathered some dust 
from the roadway and filled an ordinary eastern flowerpot 
with it. Into this he put a dry mango seed. He then cov- 
ered the pot with a white cloth some two yards square. In 



JUGGLER AT WORK. 383 

a few minutes he lifted the cloth and poured some water in- 
to the pot and covered it up again. In his right hand he 
held the skull of a monkey, and this he passed over the 
cloth, repeating some words in Hindustani, and then, when 
he lifted the cloth, behold the seed had sprouted and two 
small leaves had pushed their way above the ground, show- 
ing that the tree was growing. Again more water was add- 
ed and the pot covered, and when in a few minutes the 
cloth was again lifted, the rustling leaves and small branch- 
es of a little mango tree a foot high met our astonished 
gaze. But the surprise was greater when Khali dug up the 
little tree and showed us how it had sprouted out of the 
seed and how the rootlets had grown down. He then re- 
planted it, poured in more water and replaced the cloth. 
In the meantime he performed a number of feats, all of 
which showed him to be an adept in his line of work. He 
then turned his attention to the mango tree again. He 
raised the cloth and there stood a miniature tree between 
two and three feet high, with several branches all covered 
with bright green leaves, among which appeared two man- 
goes, one fully ripe, the other green on one side and yellow 
on the other. All this had been done so quickly and so 
cleverly that, notwithstanding we had watched every move- 
ment of the juggler, we were unable to tell how it was done. 
In the open street, without the aid of an assistant, the con- 
jurer had caused a mango tree to grow and bear ripe fruit in 
less than ten minutes after he deposited the seed in the dry 
earth. Look at it as we might, it was a wonderful feat. 
There stood the tree with its fruit. To doubt this would 
have been to doubt our senses. To us it seemed that the 
performance was fully equal to what Jannes and Jambres 
had done. Every one present was perplexed. Could it be 
possible that Khali possessed more than human power, and 



384 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

that the claims of the Spiritualists, after all, were true? We 
could, by no possible means, tell how the feat had been ac- 
complished, but we felt sure it was but a clever display of 
sleight-of-hand, and we determined, if possible, to find out 
how it was done. 

After Khali had finished his tricks and taken up a col- 
lection, we called him to one side and invited him to our 
room. There we had an interview with him, and by the of- 
fer of a few pieces of silver we induced him to give us an 
insight not only into the mango tree trick, but into a num- 
ber of other equally clever performances. 

The different-sized mango trees were carefully and 
closely wrapped up in the edge of the cloth in such a man- 
ner as to entirely escape notice. While he was pouring wa- 
ter into the flowerpot and manipulating the cloth, he man- 
aged to put the first shoot into the earth, and this he did so 
quickly as to escape detection. In like manner the suc- 
ceeding growths were put in. The fruit was an imitation, 
and it was so much like the real mango that every one was 
deceived. After we were shown how the trick was accom- 
plished, we wondered at our 'simplicity in being so easily 
deceived. But as the old man sat on the floor in our room, 
and several of us sat around him watching him closely be- 
fore he showed how it was done, he performed the trick 
again and we failed to solve the mystery. We saw here an 
illustration of the simple fact that motion is quicker than 
sight. After he disclosed to us the secret, it all seemed sim- 
ple enough. We now had evidence of what we were person- 
ally fully convinced of before, i. e., that the claim of the 
Spiritualists that the jugglers of India have supernatural 
power is false, that it is based upon the clever ability of the 
sleight-of-hand performers in playing their tricks; and that, 



CLAIMS OF SUPERNATURAL POWER. 385 

as the conjurers deceived Pharaoh, so, in like manner, have 
the jugglers of India deceived the Theosophists. 

In answer to a question as to how long he had been in 
the business of juggling, Khali said, "All my lifetime," and 
when we met him he must have been at least sixty years 
old. He also told us that his father, grandfather and great- 
grandfather had all been famous conjurers in their time; 
and, no doubt, if the Khans had kept a family record, it 
would appear that for a thousand years the secrets of the 
conjurer had been handed down from father to son. As be- 
fore stated, this fact accounts in part for their remarkable 
power to perform seeming miracles. After we left Agra we 
met many jugglers, for their name is legion in India. At 
Calcutta, Madras and Colombo, they are to be met in 
scores, and at these places they are especially noted for the 
cleverness with which they perform their tricks. When 
they invited us to witness their feats, we usually replied by 
saying, "We have seen Khali Khan at Agra," and the reply 
would be, "Ah, Khali Khan; him very good juggler, he my 
cousin." 

Our investigations have only more fully confirmed us in 
the belief that all claims of supernatural power made in 
these days are based either upon error or fraud. The Gos- 
pel teaches that in the last days men shall arise making 
such claims and going even so far as to claim that they are 
Christs. These false teachers are to have remarkable pow- 
ers, sufficient, if it were possible, to deceive even the very 
elect. But they claim ability that they do not possess, and 
are either deceivers or self-deceived All this is only an in- 
dication that the coming of the Lord is near at hand. Let 
us not be deceived and drawn away from the truth by these 
claimants of supernatural powers! They may be able to do 
just as wonderful things as Khali Khan, but they possess no 



386 



GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 



more supernatural power than does the astute and clever 
juggler at Agra. We are not to be understood as limiting 




A HINDU HOLY MAN. 



HOLY MEN. 387 

the power of God. We are referring to men who claim 
such power and walk not after the truth as it is in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

Another class to be met in all parts of India is the 
fakirs or so-called holy men. They are India's religious 
tramp, and the ignorant people delight to do them honor. 
They gain their reputation by mortifying the flesh, and in 
the pursuance of this object endure all kinds of physical 
suffering. They believe there is merit in works, and carry 
the doctrine to the utmost extreme. Some of them wear 
about the neck an iron frame which is not only inconvenient 
but very painful. They smear their bodies with mud and 
daub lime on the hair of the head and the beard, presenting 
a most revolting appearance. Many of them wear but a 
few rags about the loins, and this because the government, 
in the interest of common decency, forbids them to walk 
about in a nude state. They beg their way as they go from 
place to place and the poor people feed them and are thus 
heavily burdened by this constant drain on their resources; 
but they give cheerfully, accepting the tramp's blessing in 
exchange for what they give. One of these fakirs came to 
Bulsar and gained quite a reputation for piety by suspend- 
ing himself head downward from the limb of a tree and 
swinging back and forth over a fire. Another at Benares 
has held his hand above his head until the arm has grown 
stiff and has shriveled away to a skeleton form. As a re- 
sult he is accorded divine honors. Ignorance and supersti- 
tion, twin sisters, are responsible for these things; both are 
to be feared and dreaded. 



CHAPTER XV. 



Delhi — Lucknow — Cawripore — The Indian Mutiny — The Peacock 
Throne — Memorial Well at Cawnpore — Savage Cruelty — Benares 
— Sleeping in Tents — The Sacred River Ganges — All Kinds of 
Gods for Sale — Bathing in the Ganges — Earnestness of the Dev- 
otees — On the Ganges — "Purdah Women" — Image of the God 
Bhima — Faith-Healing — The Burning Ghats — Idols, Idols Every- 
where — Christian (?) England Making Idols for India — Golden 
Temple — The Monkey Temple. 

Delhi, Lucknow and Cawnpore, — the names of these 
three cities are inseparably connected with the history of 
the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The siege and storming of 
Delhi and the defense of Lucknow by English soldiers, 
are among the most remarkable instances of personal 
bravery recorded in the annals of war. The sad fate of 
some two hundred defenseless Christian women and chil- 
dren, — reserved for a fate worse than death by their cruel 
captors, and finally massacred by order of the rebel, Nana 
Sahib, and thrown, the living with the dead, into a deep 
well — will not be forgotten while the name of Cawnpore 
is known among men. War is mercilessly cruel, and those 
who are responsible for it take upon their heads the blood, 
and tears, and sorrow, and suffering of countless millions of 
human beings. 

But it is not our purpose to go into the bloody records 
of the most cruel war of modern times. Our route of 
travel through India took in Delhi, as it did Lucknow and 
Cawnpore. But a smallpox epidemic was raging in the 
former city, and we passed it by. We, however, make a 
brief reference to the " The City of the Siege." 



THE PEACOCK THRONE. 389 

Delhi was founded in 1628, by Shah Jehan, he who 
built the Taj Mahal at Agra, described in a preceding 
chapter. He was one of the great Mogul Emperors of 
India, and sought, more than all else, to leave behind him 
monuments in the shape of magnificent buildings. It was 
he who caused to be made, it is said at a cost of thirty 
million dollars, the Peacock Throne, the wonder of the 
Orient for centuries. The following description of this 
royal throne, resplendent in the richest precious stones, 
is quoted from Beresford's work: "The Throne was so 
called from its having the figures of two peacocks standing 
behind it, their tails being expanded, and the whole so 
inlaid with sapphires, rubies, emeralds, pearls, and other 
precious stones of appropriate colors, as to represent life. 
The throne itself was six feet long by four broad. It stood 
on six massive feet, which, with the body, were of solid 
gold, inlaid with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. It was 
surmounted by a canopy of gold, supported by twelve 
pillars, all richly emblazoned with costly gems, and a 
fringe of pearls ornamented the borders of the canopy. 
Between the two peacocks stood the figure of a parrot of 
the ordinary size, said to have been carved out of a single 
emerald. On either side of the throne stood an umbrella, 
one of the Oriental emblems of royalty. They were formed 
of crimson velvet, richly embroidered and fringed with 
pearls; the handles were eight feet high, of solid gold, and 
studded with diamonds." It stood in the private audi- 
ence hall of the palace which was also equally richly and 
lavishly decorated. According to Arnold, " Nothing in 
Imperial Rome ever exceeded the magnificence of this 
royal retreat of Shah Jehan." 

A European, who visited Delhi and had an audience 
with the Mogul, gives this description: "The king ap- 



390 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

peared, seated upon his throne at the end of the great hall, 
in the most magnificent attire. His vest was of white and 
delicately-flowered satin, with a silk and gold embroidery 
of the finest texture. The turban, of gold cloth, had an 
aigrette whose base was composed of diamonds of an ex- 
traordinary size and value, besides an Oriental topaz, 
which may be pronounced unparalleled, exhibiting a lustre 
like the sun." 

This brief description may give us some idea of the 
magnificence and wealth of the Mogul rulers of India. It 
was from the jewels of these rich emperors that England's 
ruler received, as a present, the Kohinoor, the largest dia- 
mond in the world; and it was from such regal splendor 
as this that the last of the great Mogul emperors was 
taken by the English to die the miserable death of a pris- 
oner of war at Rangoon; and now the British flag floats 
triumphantly and peacefully over what was the magnificent 
palace of the Moguls. 

The throne of fabulous price became one of the rich 
prizes of war in the seventeenth century. It seems almost 
incredible that thirty million dollars, — some authorities 
place the amount at double this, — in gold and jewels, 
should, in the form of a throne, become a spoil of war. 

At Cawnpore we spent several days very pleasantly, 
and enjoyed a visit at the home of Mr. and Mrs. T. T. 
Bond. We met these good people at Jerusalem, on their 
return to India from America. Mr. Bond is largely inter- 
ested in manufacturing and has a delightful home. He 
gave us much valuable information concerning social ques- 
tions in India. Mrs. Bond is an active missionary worker 
and is doing what she can to help the natives to a higher 
and a better life. 

At Cawnpore we saw an illustration of the veneration 



MEMORIAL WELL. 391 

of the Hindus for the monkey. The city is literally over- 
run with these mischievous and destructive marauders. 
As we passed along the streets we saw them playing on 
the housetops and peering curiously from the combs of 
the roofs. Many times a troop of them would chase each 
other across the street and into the branches of the trees 
by the wayside. Mr. Bond told us that they were exceed- 
ingly destructive and made the lot of the poor natives a 
burden. But they would not consent to have a single one 
killed. An attempt to destroy the monkeys would cause 
the natives to rise in rebellion. A few years ago they had 
become so numerous and burdensome that the people con- 
sented to allow them to be captured and carried to a for- 
est, a considerable distance from the city. For some time 
the city was free from annoyance, but, one by one, their 
old friends returned again, and it was not long before mon- 
keys were as plenty as before. Another attempt was made 
to capture them, but the animals cunningly avoided the 
traps. They had been caught once, and that was enough 
for them. They had gained wisdom from experience, 
which is more than can be said of some people, and so 
Cawnpore is overrun with monkeys, and the animals es- 
cape destruction because the natives look upon them as be- 
ing sacred. 

One place in Cawnpore, of more than usual interest, 
is the Memorial Well. We stood before the monument 
and reflected upon the terrible cruelty of war, and if there 
is any place in the world where such reflections crowd 
upon the mind, that place is here, where the most cruel 
tragedy of the Sepoy Mutiny occurred. 

The story may be told in a very few words. In 1857, 
when the natives rebelled against the rule of Great Britain, 
Cawnpore was garrisoned by three thousand Indian troops 



392 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

with sixty English officers. The total white population was 
about nine hundred, including men, women and children. 
Among these were a number of missionaries and their 
families, who had been laboring for some years among 
the people. The entire body of native soldiers, with the 
exception of eighty, who remained true to the English, 
joined the mutineers. The arms, magazine with ammu- 
nition, and artillery fell into the hands of the rebels. The 
English were enabled to arm but three hundred men, and 
these were called upon to defend the non-combatants 
against the assaults of the enemy. An intrenchment was 
hastily made, and within the lines were collected the 
doomed band of aged and infirm men, with the women 
and children, about seven hundred in number. " Never be- 
fore had a besieged garrison been called upon to do greater 
things than this little body of about three hundred English 
soldiers, hampered by every disadvantage, and exposed 
to the continuous fire of three thousand trained soldiers, 
well fed, lodged and armed." In three weeks the deaths 
within the intrenchment were two hundred and fifty. 
Their provision was at last exhausted, and under the prom- 
ise of safe conduct to the river side and of boats to take 
them down the Ganges, the garrison surrendered. They 
marched down to the river, hopeful that their worst trials 
were over. But the hope was delusive, for, as they were 
entering the boats, their treacherous enemies opened fire 
upon the devoted band, and only four escaped to tell the 
story. About two hundred women and children were 
saved from the massacre by the leader, Nana Sahib, for 
a fate worse even than death. They were imprisoned in 
small houses near the rebels' headquarters, and, after suf- 
ferings too terrible to relate, they were, on July 15, 1857, 
cruelly massacred by order of the rebel chiefs. Many were 




Memorial Well, Cawnpore. 



394 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

severely wounded, but the " dead and the dying " were 
thrown into a well near the spot where the fearful deed 
was enacted. It was a terrible crime, and it met a swift 
and terrible retribution. Not many days later an English 
army marched upon the place, and, frenzied to madness 
by the horrible cruelty of the mutineers, signally defeated 
them, and a number of the prisoners taken were actually 
blown from the mouths of cannon. 

Over the well containing the dust of the two hundred 
women and children a monument was erected, and the 
place is now known as the memorial well and garden. 
The thirty acres of ground is beautifully laid out and plant- 
ed with trees, shrubs and flowers. Over the well a mound 
is raised and this is surmounted with the monument. The 
principal figure is the angel of the resurrection in white 
marble — a fine piece of sculpture. The hands are meekly 
folded across the breast and in each is the emblem of 
peace. An arch bears this inscription, "These are they 
which came out of great tribulation." Around the wall 
which marks the circle of the well are engraved these 
words: 

" Sacred to the perpetual memory of a great company of Christian 
people, chiefly women and children, who near this spot were cruelly 
murdered by the followers of the rebel Nana Dhunda Paut, of Bithur, 
and cast, the dying with the dead, into the well below, on July 15, 1857." 

War is terribly cruel. The common instincts of hu- 
manity are changed to the ferocity of the evil one. Mad- 
dened by blood, men made in the image of God become 
human tigers, destroy life and rejoice at human suffering. 
Talk about a humane war. All war is inhuman and con- 
trary to the teaching of the Prince of Peace. On this side 
of the world we hear of the rumors of war at home, and 



BENARES. 395 

our prayer is that God may graciously keep such a calam- 
ity from falling upon our beloved home land. 

From Cawnpore, with its memorial well and great bur- 
den of sad associations, and Lucknow, with its battle- 
scarred residency, silent and ruined monument of the most 
notable defense of all modern times, we hurried on to 
Benares, the great center of Hindu idolatry. Here we 
found the hotel crowded, and, as there was no room for 
our little company of travelers at the inn, we were obliged 
to take up our abode not in a stable, but in tents. These 
were large and had the advantage of good ventilation; but 
as the air was quite cool after the setting of the sun our 
roomy quarters were too cold for comfort. Then, too, our 
nightly slumbers were often broken by the howling of the 
jackals and the deep, hoarse growl of the jungle cat. 
When the animals came too close to our tents, the guards 
who kept watch by night called out to each other and 
drove them away. But one could not help feeling a little 
nervous when thinking about the possibilities of the close 
proximity of these ferocious animals. 

Benares, with a population of two hundred and twenty- 
five thousand souls, is built on the high banks of the Gan- 
ges, the most sacred stream in all the world to the Hindu. 
The early history of the place is lost in the myths of tra- 
dition. It is claimed that the city existed six hundred 
years before the Christian era, and that it was certainly 
older than Alexander the Great. It may be said with 
certainty that Benares is older than the Christian era. As 
the Hindus paid little attention to records, scarcely any- 
thing is known of events which occurred in more recent 
years. 

If the Great Apostle of the Gentiles were living to-day, 
and were to visit Benares as he did Athens nearly nineteen 



39^ GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

centuries ago, surely his great spirit would be stirred within 
him, for this modern city is wholly given to an idolatry, 
which, in many of its features, is worse than was the idolatry 
of the Greeks. The ancient Greeks numbered their gods by 
the thousand, the modern Hindus number theirs by the mil- 
lion, and are continually adding to the list. Benares is the 
very center and stronghold of Hinduism. Here are to be 
found more priests, more so-called holy men, more temples, 
more sacred places, more idols and more idolaters than in 
any other city in India or, for that matter, in all the world. 
There are no less than fourteen hundred temples in the city, 
with idols innumerable. It requires an army of twenty 
thousand Brahman priests to conduct the v/orship and re- 
ceive the gifts offered by the deluded people, for these peo- 
ple give liberally of their means to build temples, to set up 
idols and to support the priests. 

It has been said that what Jerusalem is to the Jew and 
Christian, and what Mecca is to the Mohammedan, all that 
and much more is Benares to the Hindu. To make a pil- 
grimage to the city of thousands of temples and millions of 
idols, to bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges or to die 
upon its shore — with the last lingering gaze of the eye fixed 
in death upon its flowing tide — is to secure full forgiveness 
for all past sins and to gain eternal life. And more than 
this. If the body of the dead be but dipped in the water of 
the stream and burned on its shore at Benares, eternal hap- 
piness is secured, no matter what the life of the dead may 
have been. Such is the faith of the orthodox Hindu, and he 
clings to it with much greater tenacity than some Christians 
hold to theirs. This being true, it is not to be wondered at 
that the Hindus flock to Benares not only by hundreds and 
thousands but by hundreds of thousands. The streets are 
thronged with them and the bathing places are crowded 



BATHING GHATS. 397 

from early morning until late in the evening. Men and 
women of all ages and conditions in life are met in the 
streets. They come for one purpose alone, and when that 
is accomplished they go their way rejoicing, and are thence- 
forth regarded by their less fortunate fellows as holy. 

Early in the morning of the day following our arrival, 
we placed ourselves under the care of an experienced guide, 
an educated Brahman who spoke English quite well, and 
started out to see the city. Our first objective point 
was the Ganges and its bathing places, known to the Hin- 
dus as ghats. These are simply broad stone steps built 
from the water's edge up the sloping bank of the stream to 
the temples which line its shore for a league or more. 
There are no less than forty-seven of these immense stone 
stairways, ranging in width from forty to sixty feet. There 
is neither roof nor screen. The bathing place is entirely 
open and public. At some places large umbrellas are sta- 
tioned to shelter the more favored bathers from the hot 
rays of the midday sun. On the platforms at the head of 
the stairway are to be found throngs of priests going to 
and fro to the numerous temples, busily receiving offerings 
from the crowds of pilgrims that constantly come and go. 

We drove several miles before reaching the native city, 
for our tents are pitched near the hotel which is really out 
in the country. Very few foreigners care to live in a native 
town. Hence hotels and mission houses are usually built in 
suburbs known as Cantonments. After reaching the native 
portion of the city we passed through a number of bazaars 
crowded with natives, some intent upon the ordinary affairs 
of every-day life, while others were hurrying down to the 
river to worship and bathe. 

After an hour's drive we came to a portion of the city 
with streets too narrow to admit our carriage. Our guide 



398 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

now led us hither and thither through a perfect labyrinth of 
streets and lanes. The streets were crowded with pilgrims 
on their way to the Ganges, while priests, vendors of idols, 
and the sacred ox and cow mingled with the throng. On 
both sides of the narrow streets were little, box-like shops 
where you might buy your choice of idols, not only as to 
size and to kind, but also as to quality of material. Here 
were gods big and little, made of clay, of wood, of stone, of 
brass, of bronze, of silver, and even of gold. Some of them 
are large enough to set up in a temple, others are small 
enough to dangle as a charm at your watch chain. But 
among them all none are more highly prized than the long, 
round, smooth stones taken from river or brook, polished 
by the water and worshiped as the symbols of Shiva, the 
ignorant idolater believing that the spirit of his god dwells 
in the stone, and that it was sent to him from the god him- 
self. 

We threaded our way along the narrow streets, jostled 
by the great throng until we emerged from among the 
shops and temples and stood upon the upper platform of one 
of the giant stairways that lead down to the water's edge. 
It was thronged from top to bottom with bathers. Some, 
having completed their ablutions, were coming up, while 
others were hurrying down to plunge into the sacred stream. 
At our feet flowed the tranquil river. It must be nearly 
half a mile wide at this point. The water is far from being 
clear and reminded us of the muddy Missouri. Slowly we 
made our way down to the water's edge where we entered 
a small boat, and slowly floating down the river obtained 
the best possible view of the ghats, of the bathers, and of 
the temple-crowned shore. 

We now had before us a sight that once seen cannot be 
forgotten. Thousands of men and women, boys and girls 



OFFERING TO THE RIVER. 399 

thronged the stone steps and stood in the water bathing and 
offering up their prayers. Hundreds of bouquets made of 
beautiful flowers were laid upon the water as offerings to the 
divine spirit of the river. The morning air was crisp and 
cold, and we found our heavy overcoats and shawls none 
too warm for comfort. But the pilgrims heeded not the 
chilly water or the cold air. Into the stream they plunged, 
dipped up the water with their hands, drank, and poured 
some of it back again into the stream as they muttered their 
prayers. Arnold, who saw the same sight witnessed by 
ourselves, has this to say of it: " Some of the pilgrims are 
old and feeble, weary with the long journey of life, emaci- 
ated by maladies, saddened from losses and troubles; and 
the morning air blows sharp, the river waves run chilly. 
Yet there they stand, breast deep in the cold river, with 
dripping garments clinging to their aged limbs, visibly 
shuddering under the shock of the water, and their lips blue 
and quivering while they eagerly mutter their prayers 
None of them hesitate; into the Ganges they plunge upon 
arrival, ill or well, robust or sickly; and ladle the water up 
with dark, trembling hands, repeating the names of their 
gods, and softly mentioning the sins they would expiate, 
and the beloved souls they plead for." 

The entire ceremony of making an offering to the river, 
of bathing and plunging beneath its waves, and of praying 
occupies from a half to a full hour. The water is dipped up 
with the hands and then allowed to drip through the fingers 
while the worshiper repeats the name of his god, "Ram, 
Ram, Ram, Ram," over and over again, giving a striking il- 
lustration of the "vain repetitions of the heathen." The 
hands are then placed palms together and carried to the 
forehead while the worshiper continues repeating the name 
of his god. I observed one of the pilgrims who performed 



400 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

this ceremony of dipping of the water seven times and then 
plunged himself beneath the waves as many times more. 
So intent are the bathers and worshipers upon their duties 
that they do not even cast a glance at the strangers in the 
boat who are curiously watching them. No stronger evi- 
dence of their earnestness and zeal and strong faith in the 
sacred stream could be given than their absolute oblivious- 
ness of their surroundings. 

After the bathing and praying is completed, the soiled 
garments of the pilgrim are washed. As he stands on the 
lower stone step the clothing is dipped into the water and 
then pounded on the stone until it is cleansed. The bather 
then puts on his garments, damp and wet as they are, and 
goes his way to visit the various temples, bows down before 
the gods made with men's hands and makes to the idols 
he worships an offering commensurate with his wealth. 
He is not content with a visit to half a dozen temples, but 
scores of them are visited in a single day, and the wealthy 
are known to distribute hundreds of dollars in one round 
among the temples. Whatever else the Hindu may neg- 
lect, he does not fail to give to the support of his idol wor- 
ship. 

And so we floated down the river, passing ghat after 
ghat, with the thousands of bathers thronging the great 
stone stairways or standing in the water, only their bronzed 
shoulders and dark faces being visible. Some of them were 
so close to us that we might almost have touched them as 
we passed, but they gave no sign, by look or gesture, that 
we were even noticed. It was a strange, sad sight, which, 
to be fully appreciated in all its force, must be seen, for it 
cannot be fully described. We visited the place twice on 
two different days, floating down and rowing up the stream 
for miles, and yet we felt that we were unable to take in the 




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PURDAH WOMEN. 4O3 

whole situation. In those two forenoons we saw enough 
strange sights, if related in detail, to fill a volume. We can 
give but a brief sketch here. 

Yonder is a mother among the pilgrims, plunging her 
naked babe into the dark, chilly water. The little fellow 
struggles and yells lustily, but down he goes and comes up 
struggling, for the w 7 ater has filled his wide-open mouth. 
But struggle as he will and cry as he may, he must take his 
enforced bath, and time and again the little bronze figure 
goes down and disappears under the water. Should he live 
to manhood this unwilling bath in the Ganges will be held 
as the one great meritorious action of his life, and will cover 
a multitude of sins. 

Here is an old man, bent with the heavy burden of 
many, many years. His friends are tenderly helping him 
down into the water. His naked body is so emaciated by 
disease and worn by age that he is but a mere skeleton, a 
tottering frame of skin and bones. But in his dim, faded 
eye there burns the fire of an enthusiast. At last the one 
great desire of his life is to be realized. He has reached 
the goal of all his earthly hopes, and is permitted not only 
to gaze upon the Ganges, but to bathe his worn-out body in 
its sacred tide. No wonder his eyes sparkle and his wrink- 
led face lights up with joy. For him all that now remains 
is but to bathe and die and enter Swarza.* 

At one of the ghats, called the Dasashwamedh, a num- 
ber of higher class people are bathing, wives and mothers 
of the wealthy, for wealth is not without its distinctions 
even in India. Some of them are "purdah women," who 
would never dream of laying aside their veils, or stepping 
from behind their sheltering curtains. In their homes even 



* The Hindu place of rest and peace for the good. It is supposed by some to be lo- 
cated in the Snow Mountains of the Himalayan range, north of India. 



404 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

the windows of their apartments, which never face the 
streets, are closely screened day and night lest eyes other 
than their own husband's might fall upon their faces. No 
greater shame could be brought upon one of these women 
than to compel her to appear unveiled on the streets. It 
would exceed an hundredfold the shame of the harlot, for 
here the calling of the harlot is made semi-respectable. 
But with the most implicit faith in the sanctity of a pilgrim- 
age to the holy city, and of the sacred character of the 
Ganges, they lay aside their heavy veils and folds of silken 
cloth, and with thin, cotton gowns, which but scantily cover 
their bodies, they unflinchingly go down into the river and 
bathe as common mortals. 

If further proof of the childlike simplicity of this 
brown-skinned multitude of bathers is needed, it may be 
found in their implicit belief in the following supposed mir- 
acle: At the Ras Sahib Ghat is a huge recumbent image of 
the god Bhima. It reclines on the outer edge of the giant 
stairway, and in the absence of data or of an opportunity to 
measure, we should say it is at least forty feet long. Our 
guide tells us, in a tone that carries with it the conviction 
that he believes what he says, that the Ganges rises high 
enough each year to wash the image away, and that the god 
miraculously restores it as often as it is removed. We 
found, upon careful examination, that the statement of the 
guide is held as a common faith by the Brahman priest and 
by the people generally. The old image appears to be 
crumbling away and is in sad need of repairs, but this slight 
fact makes no difference in the faith of the Hindu. To him 
the image is washed away and restored annually. 

The Someshwar Ghat, or stairway, dedicated to the god 
of the moon, is of special interest to us because here every 
kind of disease that the human body is heir to is supposed 



SO-CALLED FAITH-HEALING. 4O5 

to be healed. There are special shrines and bathing places 
for special diseases, such as fevers, dysentery, cholera, 
smallpox, swollen hands and feet, and scores of other ills, 
but at the bathing place of the "Lord of the Moort," the 
bather believes he may be healed of all diseases. Like the 
Grotto of Lourdes in France, it is crowded with the sick 
and afflicted all the day long. They come to be healed, 
strong in their belief in the efficacy of the waters. Many 
receive the help they come for, but the masses go away un- 
benefited. Notwithstanding the failures are innumerable 
and the real cases of healing are few, the place loses noth- 
ing of its reputation. Year after year the people flock here 
by the thousand, hoping against hope, and believing against 
evidence in the healing power of the water of the Ganges at 
this one particular spot. 

As already intimated, some receive help. As at 
Lourdes — and we say it with all due respect — as at many of 
the so-called faith-healing establishments at home and 
abroad, some, under strong mental excitement, produced by 
their surroundings and their religious beliefs, are benefited; 
and this is to be accounted for by the well-known powerful 
influence of the mind upon the body. And this is wrong- 
ly attributed to supernatural power. We believe in Bible 
faith-healing, — the healing that comes in answer to prayer 
when the will is wholly and unreservedly given up to God, 
and when God's own perscribed means are used. But we 
raise our voice in earnest protest against the frauds per- 
petrated upon the ignorant by the Brahmans at Benares, 
the priests at Lourdes, and the so-called Christian Scien- 
tists at home. They are not of God and obey not the 
Gospel of Christ. 

Our boat now approaches a part of the great bathing 
ground from which wreaths of blue smoke arise artd, 



406 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

forming into thin, fleecy clouds, float away down the river 
on the morning air. It is the burning ghat, or place 
where the dead are cremated. At a word from our guide 
the boat is anchored near the shore, and we become 
interested spectators of the strange scene. The sellers 
of the " death wood " carry bundle after bundle of the 
prepared fuel down to where the funeral pyres are to be 
built. One pyre from which the blue smoke goes up is 
full ablaze, and the shape of a silent form is visible amidst 
the flames. At another the embers are smouldering, and 
the white, calcined bones are visible in the ashes. At 
still another the "burners of the dead" are searching care- 
fully among the ashes for treasures. They are looking for 
melted silver and gold, for but yesterday the body of a 
wealthy Hindu woman was burned and the jewels she 
had worn all her life were committed to the flames with 
her poor body, now no longer in need of the tinsel of 
earthly ornament. On the shore, within easy reach, is a 
figure wrapped in a white cloth, from which only the 
cold, brown, bare feet protrude, touching the outer edge 
of the stream. The funeral pyre is being arranged after 
the manner already described. The wood is piled up, the 
body is laid upon the pyre, the torch is applied, and the 
smoke darkens the air. While we watch and wait, another 
and another body is brought down to the water side, and 
the burners of the dead are kept busy at their task; for 
the next greatest good after bathing in the sacred stream, 
is to be burned on its banks and to have one's ashes car- 
ried down to the sea on its tide. 

Two bodies are brought from the State Prison, and 
pyres erected for their burning. No matter what their 
sins and crimes may have been in life, they are now, ac- 
cording to common belief, to be purified by the side of 



FILIAL LOVE. 4O7 

the Ganges. True, their bodies are handled roughly, and 
after being dipped in the water, even the thin cotton 
cloth is removed, but they are accorded honorable cre- 
mation beside the flowing tide of the river. And so we 
watch the sad funeral rites, absorbed in the scene around 
us. We hear no wail of woe at the burning ghat of the 
dead, for to-day the poor and unknown are committed 
to the flames. Yonder is a monument raised to commem- 
orate the spot where a broken-hearted widow laid herself 
on the funeral pyre of her dead husband, and was burned 
to death. Such scenes are now happily no more to be wit- 
nessed in India. 

But we must not remain here longer. Already the 
sun's power is being felt. Our boat is brought to a landing 
place, and we ascend the stairway amid the great throng 
of people. At the top is a poor fellow who has brought 
the dead body of his father a long distance, to have it 
burned on the banks of the Ganges. To a Hindu this is 
the highest mark of filial love and affection. As a duty, 
it stands before all others. The son has spent his all in 
his journey, and now begs for a pittance with which to 
buy the " death wood." For sweet charity's sake his need 
is supplied, and he goes his way muttering his tearful 
thanks. 

We left the bathing place, but the memory of it went 
with us and it clings to us still. To us the sight of this 
vast multitude of rich and poor, old and young, men and 
women, the weak and the strong, bathing in the Ganges, 
burning their dead on its shore, bowing before idols and 
shrines, and dragging their enfeebled bodies to its sacred 
waters, hoping to be healed, was inexpressibly sad. Ob- 
livious of all around them, save the duty of worship, they 
seemed so earnest and so zealous in doing what they be- 



408 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

lieved to be necessary to obtain the forgiveness of their 
sins that we could not for a single moment doubt their 
sincerity. They believed fully and unreservedly in what 
they were doing. It was the action of a blind, unreasoning 
faith. We returned to our tents depressed in spirit and 
sad at heart. We had seen the impregnability of Hindu- 
ism. Its strength lies in the ignorance and superstition 
of the common people. 

Two thoughts were deeply impressed upon us by what 
we had seen. First, How can these people be freed from 
error's chain and led away from their terrible idolatry? 
Second, How much greater sacrifice the Hindus seem will- 
ing to make in serving their false gods than we, as Chris- 
tians, seem willing to make in the service of our true God! 

The answer to the first question, it seems to us, rests 
as a burden upon the church. Give them the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ, educate them, not over-much, but enough 
to remove ignorance and superstition. This is the only 
way to save them, and this is essentially the work of the 
church. Individuals are to go, but they must be sent and 
the church must do the sending. 

As to the second thought, it rests as a burning shame 
upon every professing Christian who is not willing to give 
up all the world for the sake of Christ. 

If, after visiting Benares, you were asked to describe 
the city in a few words, you would say, " Temples and 
idols everywhere," and your answer would be true to the 
situation. India is preeminently the land of idols and 
Benares is the very heart and centre of the vast system 
of Hindu idol worship. As you walk about the city you 
see temples and idols, and idols and temples, until you 
become satiated with the sight and are glad to get away 
from it all. 



BLESSING THE IDOL. 4OQ 

You leave the temples and wander aimlessly about the 
streets of the old city and you see row after row of shops 
or stores where idols of all kinds and sorts are offered 
for sale, and you are met by peddler after peddler with 
their baskets full of little images, inviting you to inspect 
and buy. You will see the potter forming the shapeless 
mass of clay into a hideous image of some one of the 
most popular gods; the carpenter sawing and cutting 
and carving on some great idol, presently to be set up and 
worshiped in one of the temples; the sculptor shaping 
marble figures with mallet and chisel for household gods; 
the brass worker pouring molten metal into the moulds, 
to be taken out, when cold, in the form of little gods 
which the natives buy for a few pennies each; and the 
goldsmith, skilled in his art, turning the precious metals 
into idols for the rich; and you are again ready to say, 
" Idols, idols, everywhere." 

But the images, as they come from the hand of the 
maker, are nothing more than common clay, wood, or met- 
al. Before they are worshiped they must be blessed by the 
Brahman priest. This is known as the life-giving cere- 
mony and is considered a very solemn affair. After the 
idol has received at the hands of the priest the supposed 
life of the god it was made to represent, it becomes holy to 
the idol-worshiper and must never be approached without 
due form and ceremony. By this ceremony it becomes an 
object of great reverence. If, after the idol has been 
blessed by the priest, it should be touched by an unclean 
person it can no longer be worshiped but must be replaced 
by another. 

It has been said that England not only sends missiona- 
ries to India but many idols as well. It is also stated that 
the brass founders at Birmingham make a specialty of man- 



410 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

ufacturing idols. Poole, in referring to these charges, says: 
"I have heard it whispered in more than one quarter that 
many of the idols that are worshiped in India are manufac- 
tured in England; but I would fain believe that the report is 
not correct, for I do not like to think ill of my country- 
men." Another reliable author says, "I strongly suspect 
that many of the idols offered for sale are of English manu- 
facture, for it is currently reported that Birmingham ex- 
ports an immensely large proportion of the idols of Hindu- 
stan, and finds them a profitable speculation." 

Like Poole we were not disposed to credit this report 
about his countrymen; we are not quick to accept an evil 
report and it was hard for us to believe such a report about 
any people. If India will have idols to worship, surely no 
nation calling itself Christian should supply the demand. 
But later we had the evidence of a witness whom we could 
not doubt, and with shame it must be said that the report is 
too true. Miss Brittan, now of Yokohama, Japan, who 
spent twenty years as a missionary in India, gave us the fol- 
lowing statement. She visited Birmingham, England, some 
years ago with friends and relatives. One of these held a 
prominent position in one of the brass foundries, and with 
him she visited the works. He took her into one of the 
finishing rooms, where, using her own language, "I saw 
thousands and thousands of brass images of Krishna, Ga- 
nesa, Vishnu, Parvatti and other Hindu idols. These were 
being finished and packed ready for shipment to India." 

The fact set forth in the preceding paragraph is a most 
humiliating one, but it is only another evidence that men 
can always be found to do anything for money. The inor- 
dinate thirst for gold is the curse of the world to-day. Aft- 
er all it is only fitting that the Christian (?) nation which 
forced opium upon the Chinese at the point of the bayonet, 




4^11 c 



H 



412 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

against the most earnest appeals and protests of the heath- 
en emperor, who sought to save his people from the ter- 
rible effects of the deadly drug, should manufacture and 
ship idols to India. But England is not the only trans- 
gressor. Of like character is the shipping of rum and 
whiskey into the newly-opened territory of Africa. It is a 
startling commentary upon the principles and morals of the 
age in which we live when a heathen chief protests against 
the distillers and whiskey-sellers of the United States ship- 
ping their poison into his country to degrade his people. 

The sins of nations are as surely to be punished as are 
the sins of individuals. A people may sacrifice the eternal 
principles of right for accidental association and for present 
gain; the strong may, for a time, triumph over the weak; 
wrong may rule for a season, but in the end sin must be ex- 
piated. England is filling for herself a vial of wrath which 
will one day burst and bring upon her a swift and terrible 
retribution, and our own country is condoning sin and re- 
ceiving stores of gold from the whiskey traffic, bedewed 
with the tears of widows and orphans, and red with the 
blood of murder. But the day of reckoning is sure to 
come. Surely we have not forgotten the curse and blight 
that fell upon us because of the national sin of human slav- 
ery. The dark blot was not obliterated until it had been 
deluged with the best blood of our people. It should be 
remembered that "righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin 
is a reproach to any people." National sins will not go un- 
punished. The mills of the gods grind slowly but they 
grind exceedingly fine. 

Our readers will pardon this digression. The case is 
one that cannot be dismissed lightly. 

We continued our walks about the city until we grew 
weary of temples and idols and, lest our readers experience 



THE GOLDEN TEMPLE. 413 

the same condition, we limit our description to several of 
the numerous places visited. 

The "golden temple," dedicated to the poison god, is 
so called because one of its domes is gilded with gold. 
The interior presented what seemed to us to be only a very 
poorly-arranged cow-stable. It was reeking with filth, for a 
number of sacred oxen and cows were stalled in the main 
room, where we could not have gone had we desired to do 
so, lest our feet should desecrate the holy pavement. As it 
was we not only had no desire to tread upon the filth, but 
were glad to escape from the stench of the place which was 
simply overpowering to our untrained olfactory nerves. 
The Brahmans, we are told, enjoy the odor and declare it 
to be the sweetest fragrance. During our hasty visit to the 
temple we observed that it was crowded with idols on every 
side. The cows and the idols and the priests had the place 
to themselves, and we were glad to leave them in posses- 
sion. 

Near the golden temple is the famous Gyan Kup, or 
well of knowledge, in which every orthodox Hindu believes 
that the god of Shiva dwells. The pavement surrounding 
the well is by no means pleasant, but the well itself is simp- 
ly a fetid pool, emitting a fearful smell, caused by the de- 
caying flowers that are thrown into it by worshipers. There 
is a cloth resting upon a grating spread over the mouth of 
the well, but there are several large rents in the cloth, and 
the flowers are continually dropping through into the water. 
The stench and the filth drove us away, and we look to 
another for a description: "The worshipers also throw water 
into the well, and as they are not careful how they throw it, 
the pavement is one vast puddle and the clothing of their 
fellow-votaries is in a dripping state. The platform is 
thronged by men and women, and the horrible din of gongs 



414 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

and voices deafens the visitor. Crowds of fresh pilgrims 
are constantly arriving, and as numbers of cows are mixed 
up in the throng, and must be treated with great considera- 
tion, the jostling is something terrific." And all this be- 
cause it is handed down as a tradition, that at one time the 
golden temple was destroyed and a priest, in order to save 
the idol, threw it into this well. Since then it has been con- 
sidered as one among the most sacred places in Benares. 

Not far from the well is a temple, to which we can re- 
fer only briefly, without entering into details. The carvings 
in stone are so vulgarly indecent that even the slightest 
reference to them is questionable. Oh the depth of the 
vileness and depravity to which idolatry can sink men made 
in the likeness and image of God! And yet there are men 
who talk about the good to be found in this great system of 
idolatry. At the Congress of Religions, held in Chicago, 
these base features of Hinduism were never even hinted at. 
It is not fair to condemn any system of morals, ethics or re- 
ligion by what some of its followers may do, but we have a 
perfect right to judge it by its own teachings. And when 
the temples of worship become brothels, and vice and sin 
are called virtues, we have a right to condemn the entire 
system. 

The temple of Durga is known as the monkey temple 
because a large number of these mischievous animals are 
quartered and fed in the building. The sacred character of 
the monkeys gives them special favor in the sight of the 
Hindus. Durga is the terrible form of the wife of Shiva, 
and as she is said to delight in blood, a goat is occasionally 
sacrificed before the idol. We noticed the blood of the sac- 
rifice on the platform before the shrine of the idol. As we 
approached the place, about two dozen monkeys came 
trooping out to meet us. At the same time the priest came 



HOLY MAN OF BENARES. 415 

with a large plate full of food for the animals, which he dis- 
tributed among the visitors, who were expected to feed the 
animals and then pay. for the privilege. They were fed and 



SWAMI BHASKARA NAUD SARASWATI, 
Holy Man of Benares. 



amused the visitors for some time with their antics. The 
Hindus actually worship these chattering, antic-loving crea- 
tures, regarding them as living gods and goddesses. Sat- 
urday is a day especially set apart for the worship of the 
monkeys. Aside from the animals, nothing worthy of note 



416 GIRDLING THE GI OBE. 

was seen, save the hideous idol daubed with red ochre, 
seated in a shrine within the portals of the temple. 

Before leaving Benares we called upon Sri Swami 
Bhaskara Naud Saraswati, the famous ascetic, known as the 
" Holy Man of Benares." He enjoys a home with a beauti- 
ful garden, the gift of a wealthy rajah. When we entered 
the garden his attendant wrapped a white cloth about his 
loins. This because of the presence of ladies; otherwise he 
wears no clothing. He met us with a beaming face and a 
happy smile, and spoke of the fact that he had been invited 
to visit Chicago in 1893. He is already worshiped by 
thousands in India and has received a place among the gods 
of the country. A beautiful marble image of the Swami 
stands in the garden, which he took great pleasure in show- 
ing us. He has the satisfaction of seeing his fellow-coun- 
trymen come to worship it. He presented us copies of his 
books printed in Sanscrit, with a pamphlet containing a 
photograph of himself which is here reproduced. Present- 
ing us with garlands of flowers, he raised his hands and 
called the blessings of the Creator upon us, and then dis- 
missed us. I observe that it is better to have blessing than 
cursing from a man. As we turned to leave our Hindu 
guide knelt down and kissed the feet of the Swami. He 
believes him to be a part of divinity and worships him. On 
the way back to Benares we met a great train of elephants 
and attendants. In state the rajah's wife was on her way 
to pay her respects to the " Holy Man of Benares." 



CHAPTER XVI. 



From the City of Idols to the City of Palaces — The Man-Eating Ti- 
gers of Bengal — Rich Farming Lands — India in Competition with 
the United States in Raising Wheat — The Indigo Plant — Process 
of Manufacturing the Dye -J- Opium Growing — Opium Introduced 
into China by the English — The Opium War — England's Great- 
est National Shi — Calcutta, "City of Palaces" — Asiatic Cholera 
— The Black Hole of Calcutta. 

The journey from Benares, the City of Idols, to Calcut- 
ta, the City of Palaces, is made in about seventeen hours — 
this by the fast express train running at the average rate of 
thirty miles an hour including stoppages. The cars on the 
Indian railways are divided into compartments with seats 
facing each other on both sides of the coach. The com- 
partments are entered from both ends of the car, and are 
quite comfortable. All first and second class travelers in 
India carry with them a supply of bedclothes, and with pil- 
lows and comforts we changed our compartment into a very 
good sleeping room, fully as comfortable as the sleeping- 
cars at home. By notifying the agent in time, a party of 
four or five may have a compartment reserved for them, and 
thus have a pleasant time together. By the kindness of the 
agent at Benares, an 'entire section was placed at the dis- 
posal of our little party. We had purchased second class 
tickets, but we were shown into a first class coach. The on- 
ly appreciable difference between the two is in the name, 
not in the comfort. Some people do not like to be placed 
in the second class. They would rather pay double the 

money for the name of being ranked first, and they do it. 

(417) 



4l8 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

The rate of fare charged on the Indian railways is much 
below that of Europe and America. Second class tickets 
are sold at a rate of about one cent a mile, while first class 
cost nearly double as much. The third class rate is very 
low and the cars of this class are usually crowded with na- 
tive passengers, who find the very small sum charged for 
tickets an incentive to make short journeys. 

Good eating houses are to be found at all the principal 
railway stations, where an excellent meal, composed of 
roasted mutton (goat meat), rice and curry, pudding and 
fruit may be had for the nominal sum of one rupee, about 
twenty-eight cents in our money. Living is cheap in India. 
We found some very good hotels at say eighty cents per 
day for lodging and board. The same class of accommoda- 
tions at home would cost from two to three dollars a day. 

Leaving the Northern Provinces, we entered that por- 
tion of the great Indian Peninsula known as Bengal. Here, 
in the dense jungles of wild, tropical vegetation, roams the 
royal Bengal tiger, a terror to both man and beast. Even 
the king of the jungle, the mighty lion, fears to attack a 
full-grown tiger. We saw several specimens of this fine, 
but fierce, savage animal. One, a recent capture, and a 
reputed man-eater. was in a public garden or park at Madras. 
He was said to measure twelve feet in length, a statement 
we did not care to make an attempt to verify. The huge 
animal was restlessly pacing to and fro in his great iron 
cage, casting occasionally angry side glances at us as we 
stood watching him. He was the very embodiment of 
strength and agility, and we could not help but shudder at 
the thought of meeting him alone in his native jungle. 
Such is the strength of the full-grown Bengal tiger that he 
can carry off a full-grown bullock in his jaws. 

The food of the tiger, when he prowls in his own jun- 



FOOD OF THE TIGER. 4I9 

gle, appears to be deer, antelope and the wild hog. When 
these are plenty he rarely disturbs domestic cattle. In 
some places the natives even regard him as a kind of pro- 
tector, as he saves their crops from destruction by the wild 
animals upon which he feeds. But, as noted in a former 
chapter, when he once develops a taste for human flesh and 
blood, many a poor, defenseless native falls a prey to his 
savage cruelty. The man-eater is generally an old beast, 
not able to overtake and capture his usual prey. He then 
turns upon the natives and slaughters them, not only for 
food, but out of sheer cruelty. " A single tiger is known to 
have killed one hundred and eight people in the course of 
three years. Another killed an average of about eighty per 
annum. A third caused thirteen villages to be abandoned, 
and two hundred and fifty square miles of land to be thrown 
out of cultivation. A fourth, so late as 1869, killed one 
hundred and twenty-seven people, and stopped a public 
road for many weeks, until the opportune arrival of an Eng- 
lish hunter, who at last killed him. Such cases are, of 
course, exceptional, and generally refer to a period long 
past, but they explain and justify the superstitious awe with 
which the tiger is regarded by the natives."* The Govern- 
ment pays a reward for every tiger slain. The number 
killed in a single year was nearly sixteen hundred, and the 
money paid out in rewards amounted to about twenty thou- 
sand dollars. While so many were killed, there were re- 
ported for the year eight hundred and nineteen persons and 
sixteen thousand cattle killed by tigers. 

In these same jungles the leopard is far more common 
than the tiger, and is at least fully as destructive to life 
and property. Tiger and jungle cats, wolves, jackals, wild 
dogs, striped hyenas, bears, elephants, the rhinoceros, the 

* Encyclopedia Britannica. 



420 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

wild hog, the wild ass and various species of the deer family 
also abound in the forests and jungles of eastern India. 

In coming down from Benares to Calcutta we pass 
over some fine, rich farming land. This is especially true of 
the great river bottoms which are annually overflowed dur- 
ing the monsoon (rainy season). During the overflow the 
land on both shores is covered with a thin coating of mud, 
so that no fertilizers are needed. As the Nile overflows 
Egypt each year, enriching the soil, so the Indus, the Gan- 
ges, the Brahmaputra, the Hooghly and other rivers of 
India overflow and enrich the great plains on their borders. 
With abundant rainfall the farmer is sure of plenty in return 
for his labor; but if the rain comes not, then famine and 
death prevail in all the land. 

According to the census report more than forty mil- 
lions of the male adults of India are engaged in agricultural 
pursuits and farm labor. This is equal to more than two- 
thirds of the entire male adult population of the country. 
It may be said that the people of India are a nation of 
farmers. 

On the great river plains, two, and sometimes three, 
crops are harvested each year. In the early springtime the 
lower Bengal farmer harvests his crop of pease, pulse and 
oil seeds. In September the early rice is harvested, and in 
November and December he is busy gathering in the great 
rice crop and the wheat harvest. Of the latter grain about 
the same number of acres are sown annually as in the 
United States, and the average production per acre for a 
long series of years is thirteen bushels. It may be a matter 
of interest to our readers to know that farm laborers in 
India receive only from two to four cents per day for their 
labor, and they work from dewy morn till starry eve. The 
ten-hour a day system is unknown among these people. 



AGRICULTURAL COMPETITION. 421 

Their food is a kind of coarse bean, known as pulse. It is 
believed to be the same kind of food selected by the young 
Hebrew prophet Daniel for himself and companions in 
Babylon. It is the cheapest food in India. The poor 
laborer cannot afford the luxury of rice, and the taste of 
meat is unknown to him. 

An interesting phase of the agricultural question was 
suggested to the mind by what we saw while in India, and 
that was this: How can our farmers at home raise wheat in 
competition with the cheap labor of India? They pay from 
ten to fifteen dollars per month for labor, which is fifteen 
hundred per cent more than is paid in India. Their food 
and clothing supplies cost them fully as much more in pro- 
portion as does labor. Then, too, the Indian farmer has the 
advantage in the rent, or rather the tax which he pays on 
his land. Practically, the land belongs to the government. 
It is assessed every thirty years, the farmer pays annually a 
fixed sum for the use of the land. The rate for the rich 
black soil lands of Guzerat is $1.10 per acre. Less product- 
ive lands are assessed at a lower rate. At home, in north- 
ern Illinois, the farmer must pay, say $70.00 per acre for the 
best improved farms. Counting the money worth six per 
cent, this makes the land cost him four dollars and twenty 
cents per acre annually; to this must be added the taxes, 
and the sum is raised to about five dollars per acre. In oth- 
er words, our northern Illinois farmer must pay an annual 
rental of from four to five dollars per acre for the use of 
his land, as against the one dollar used by the Indian farmer. 
Of course these conditions vary in different parts of the 
country. 

The conclusion is that the Indian farmer can and does 
raise wheat at much less than one-half what it costs our 
farmers at home to produce it. As it costs him less, he can 



422 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

sell it for less than we can, and as a result, when we come 
into competition with him, he can easily undersell us and 
drive us out of the market. It will be well for us to con- 
sider these conditions, for at no distant day in the .future we 
shall have to meet the Indian farmer in the markets of the 
world. 

Among other productions of Bengal is the indigo plant 
from which the indigo used in dyeing is distilled. It is 
grown in large quantities on the alluvial soil of the river 
bottoms. The seed is sown as the waters recede, and from 
that time until the plant is harvested the farmer gives it but 
little attention. 

Some account of the production of indigo dye, so 
commonly used in all our families at home, may not be 
uninteresting. In a general way it may be said that India 
supplies the world with indigo. About ten million pounds, 
worth as many dollars, are produced annually. The plant, 
as its name indicates, is a native of India, although it is 
cultivated in other parts of the world. The dye produced 
in Bengal is the best to be found in the market. 

When the indigo plant {indigo /era) has attained its 
growth, the stems are cut down and tied into small bun- 
dles. This is done just when the buds are about to open, 
as it is thought that then the leaves are fully charged with 
coloring matter. The same stock produces two, and in 
some localities three, crops of stems and leaves each year. 
The bundles are taken at once to the factories and are 
thrown into large vats and covered with warm water. 
Here they remain until fermentation takes place, which 
occupies from ten to fourteen hours, depending upon the 
temperature. This process releases the coloring matter 
from the leaves and it is held in solution by the water. 
When the water assumes a fine, clear, yellow color, it is 



INDIGO PLANT. 423 

judged that the leaves have given up the indigo. The 
water is then drawn off into a series of vats placed on a 
lower level than the first, and the stalks are thrown out 
into the sun to dry, after which they are used as fuel in 
the furnaces. The yellow liquid now undergoes a process 
of violent agitation. Natives, armed with long bamboo 
poles, lash it for several hours. Gradually the blue flakes 
separate from the water and sink to the bottom. The men 
who lash the water wear no clothing save a small cotton 
cloth wrapped about the loins, and from head to foot they 
are as blue as blue can be. 

After the lashing has gone on for three or four hours, 
the liquid is allowed to settle, and as the blue flakes sink 
to the bottom of the tank, the clear water is drawn off. 
The mass of blue paste is then taken out of the tanks, put 
into kettles and boiled for three hours, and is then filtered 
through a thick cloth. The paste is then dried under 
pressure, cut into square cakes, weighing about eight ounces 
each, upon which is stamped the name of the factory. 
The cakes are then laid away in the shade to dry, after 
which they are packed into boxes ready for shipment. 
The entire process of making indigo takes about three 
months. At one time the manufacture of the dye was 
very profitable, and large fortunes were made by the 
English, but for some years, owing to over-production and 
consequent low prices, it has not made satisfactory returns. 
As a result, Bengal and Behar are dotted with the sites 
of abandoned indigo factories. In the Madras Presidency 
the business is carried on entirely by the natives. 

The opium-producing poppy grows to perfection in 
India, and the English Government reaps a large annual 
income from the cultivation and manufacture of this pow- 
erful and destructive drug. We have fully described the 



424 GIRDLING THE GLOBE, 

cultivation of the poppy and the gathering of opium in 
" The Seven Churches of Asia," pp. 279-81. The exporta- 
tion of opium from India reaches in value the enormous 
sum of seventy-five million dollars, of which the govern- 
ment receives as its share of net profit not far from forty 
million dollars. Nearly one-half of all the opium ex- 
ported goes to China and the Straits Settlements. 

The cultivation of the poppy and the manufacture of 
opium by the English Government in India, and its forci- 
ble introduction into China, against the earnest protests 
and strong appeals of the heathen emperor, forms one of 
the darkest chapters in the history of that so-called Chris- 
tian nation. It is only another illustration of what the 
greed for gold will do. We referred to this very briefly 
in a former chapter, but the importance of the subject de- 
mands further notice. Another consideration also induces 
us to give this matter further attention. The use of opium 
is constantly increasing in our own nation, and this in- 
crease is alarming in the highest degree. Every neigh- 
borhood, village, town and city has its victims. Bright 
intellects are destroyed, and thousands are daily stupefied 
with the insidious drug. Even professing Christians are 
victims to the mind and soul-destroying opium habit. 

When Warren Hastings became the first Governor 
General of India, in 1774, the opium-yielding poppy was 
grown in India only to a very limited extent. The use 
of the drug, except for medicinal purposes, was forbidden 
by the religion as well as the laws of the country. Some 
of the rulers even went so far as to inflict the death penalty 
upon those who violated the law. Enough was used, how- 
ever, against creed and law, to enable Hastings to see 
that here was an opportunity to fill the coffers of the 
government with gold. He had no thought of the ruin 



OPIUM HABIT. 425 

and degradation that would result. These people and the 
Chinese are only pagans. Let them eat and smoke the 
drug, and destroy themselves. It would bring gold into 
the treasury, and gold was what was wanted. 

He lost no time in furthering his project. He stim- 
ulated the cultivation of the poppy, furnishing means 
where they were lacking and establishing factories, so 
that the drug might be put up in form for popular use. 
He established agencies for its sale, receiving large fees 
for licenses and in a few years quite a revenue accrued to 
the government. He sent two ship-loads of opium to 
China and this was given away to the people, and they 
thus acquired a taste for the drug which has been such a 
great curse to that country. The next year he sent two 
more ship-loads and this was sold at a low price. After 
this, the price was gradually increased. The appetite for 
opium was thus created among the Chinese and then they 
were willing to pay a high price for it. Results: the de- 
struction of the moral and mental powers of the Chinese 
who used the drug, and more gold for the English Govern- 
ment. 

When Hastings resigned in 1785 and returned to Eng- 
land, he was arraigned before Parliament for crimes, the 
opium traffic being one of the accusations. He defended 
himself and claimed great credit for establishing this source 
of revenue. Later, the British Government assumed the 
entire control of India, and has pursued the same plan 
adopted by Hastings in the production, manufacture, and 
sale of opium. The government stipulates the number of 
acres to be planted in poppies each year. If there is a sur- 
plus of opium one year, the amount produced the next is 
reduced. In this way the price of the drug is kept up. 

The valley of the Ganges around about Benares and 



426 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

Patna is the principal opium-producing district in India. 
At Patna there is a large factory where three thousand per- 
sons are. employed in preparing the drug for use. "Two 
hundred British soldiers keep constant guard, and the flag 
of Great Britain, that flag which, the British boast, has 
'braved the battle and the breeze for a thousand years,' 
floats over the establishment, and the manufactured article, 
which is turned out in the form of balls, has stamped upon 
each ball the initials of the Queen of England and Empress 
of India." 

From an authority* on this subject we learn that under 
the Bengal system the farmers enter into an agreement to 
sow a certain number of acres of land with poppy. No one 
is compelled to do this, but the government always finds 
plenty of willing cultivators. An advance in money is 
made to the farmer before he sows the seed and settlement, 
in full, is made when he delivers the opium to government 
agencies. He is compelled to deliver all he produces, and 
is paid at a fixed price according to quality. The delivery 
of the opium begins early in April, when the farmer brings 
all he has raised to the local government agent, who weighs 
and examines it and settles accounts. It is then taken to 
the factories at Patna and Ghazipur, where the final process 
of preparing the drug in balls for the Chinese market is 
conducted. This takes until the end of July, but the balls 
are not dry enough to be packed in chests until October. 

Up to 1774, when Hastings became Governor General 
of India, but a few chests of opium were sent to China each 
year. The small quantity brought into the empire from 
India was used for medicinal purposes. Two years after 
Hastings took the matter in hand, 1,000 chests of the 
drug were sent to China, and in 1790 nearly 5,000 

* Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 12, P. 749. 



EVIL EFFECTS OF OPIUM USING. 427 

chests were required to supply the demand. This meant 
that the Chinese had acquired such a taste for opium that 
it required 67,000 pounds annually to satisfy the demand. 
And this has gone on until now the British Government 
sends to China annually thirteen and a half million pounds 
of the drug. Persia and Turkey also add to this immense 
amount, while the thirst for the drug has become so great 
among them that the Chinese cultivate the poppy and pro- 
duce thirty million pounds of opium, all of which is con- 
sumed in the celestial kingdom. All this is the result of 
the British introducing and afterwards forcing opium upon 
the Chinese at the point of the bayonet. 

The opium trade which Hastings had opened up with 
the Chinese was not only a success, but became very profit- 
able. Those who acquired a desire for the drug and the 
habit of using it, demanded more, and the number of those 
who used it constantly increased. The heathen emperor 
of a heathen land soon became aware of the great wrong 
that was being done to his subjects. He saw the terrible ef- 
fects produced by the use of the opiate upon the people. 
He saw prosperous and comparatively happy families liter- 
ally destroyed by the poison. He saw strong men reduced 
to helplessness, idiocy and a living death; and seeing this 
he felt it his duty, heathen as he was, to save his people, if 
possible, from the evils which the cupidity and the inordi- 
nate love of gold of the English was forcing upon them. 
He protested in the most earnest manner against the traffic, 
and plead with the English to bring no more opium to his 
country. His appeal fell upon ears deafened by the clink 
of gold. 

In 1796 the Chinese Emperor, Lea-King, issued a proc- 
lamation forbidding the importation of opium into his do- 
minions. He also forbade the smoking of the drug by his 



428 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

subjects, and affixed severe punishments as penalties upon 
all who violated the decree. But these severe measures did 
not have the desired effect. The English found means to 
smuggle their opium into the country, and the people 
smoked it and suffered the penalties. The trade increased 
so rapidly that in 1820-25 on an average a million and a 
quarter pounds were annually imported from India and con- 
sumed by the Chinese. 

There was a constant conflict between the English who 
were engaged in importing and selling the drug and the 
Chinese officials who, by the instruction of their imperial 
master, were seeking, by all means in their power, to sup- 
press it. The death penalty was now fixed as a punishment 
upon all the subjects of the emperor who smoked, bought 
or sold opium. And in order to show the English that they 
were in real earnest in this matter, several offenders were 
taken to the English warehouses where the drug was stored 
and sold, and were strangled or beheaded before the En^- 
lish official. This was regarded as an insult to the high- 
minded men who were violating both the laws of God and 
man in their nefarious business. The relations between the 
Chinese and the English became anything but friendly. 
The former were determined to force their opium upon the 
heathen Chinese and the officials of the latter were just as 
determined that the destructive drug should be driven out 
of their country. Efforts were made to have the importa- 
tion and sale of opium legalized by law, and sold under a 
license. By this means the emperor might have added 
largely to his income, but the heathens had not learned that 
it was right to license and legalize the wrong, and the 
proposition was indignantly refused. The Chinese author- 
ities saw the terrible effects and the fearful evils growing 
out of the use of opium and determined to rid their country 



DESTROYING THE DRUG. 429 

of it. But they did not know the strength of England. 
They could not understand why a country that was sending 
missionaries to convert them to Christianity should, at the 
same time, force upon them a commodity to destroy the 
life and souls of their people. They knew not of England's 
determination to force opium upon them at the point of the 
bayonet, if necessary. 

In January, 1839, the governor of the Canton district, 
by order of the emperor, issued a proclamation threatening 
to destroy the opium ships if they were not sent away from 
Canton, where several had been anchored and used as opi- 
um depots. He also announced that a special commission- 
er had been appointed by the emperor to carry out his 
instructions, and that it was his determined purpose " to cut 
off utterly the source of this noxious abuse, to strip bare 
and root up this enormous evil; and, though his axe should 
break in his hand or his boat should sink from beneath him, 
yet will he not stay his efforts till the work of purification 
be accomplished." 

The high commissioner, Lin, arrived at Canton in 
March and he at once ordered that all the opium in the 
store-ships should be given up to him, and all who had been 
engaged in the traffic in any way should give bonds that 
they would never bring any more into the country, under 
pain of death. The demand for the delivery of the opium 
was complied with, and by the fourth of May a little over 
three million pounds had been given up under protest. 

" The destruction of the drug, which was valued at ten 
million dollars, took place a short distance from Canton in 
the presence of commissioner Lin. The Chinese authori- 
ties were unwilling to cast the opium into the river, lest the 
fish should be poisoned by it. The method of destruction 
adopted was as follows: Three large vats, or trenches, one 



430 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

hundred feet long, seventy-five feet wide and seven feet 
deep, were constructed. Each trench was flagged with 
stone and lined around with heavy timbers, and was sepa- 
rately enclosed, having an entrance only on the side, which 
was carefully guarded day and night. The trenches were 
filled from about one to two feet deep with fresh water, into 
which the balls of opium, having been previously broken 
into small pieces, were thrown. Coolies (the term applied 
to common laborers in the East), were employed in the 
trenches, treading upon them, and keeping the opium 
turned up from the bottom of the vat, while others were 
employed in spreading salt and lime over the whole surface 
of the pit. When the whole mass was in a state of decom- 
position and in a sufficiently liquid state to be drawn off, a. 
sluice, furnished with a screen to stop solid - pieces, was 
opened and the liquid flowed into the creek." 

The time required to complete the work of destruction 
was twenty days. Thus the Chinese officials gave abundant 
proof that they were in deep earnest in their efforts to sup- 
press the traffic and to save their people from the dire ef- 
fects resulting from the use of opium. A parallel case 
would be if the officials of our own country were to deter- 
mine to stamp out the traffic in intoxicating drinks and 
would collect all the intoxicants in the country and destroy 
them, and would forbid, under pain of death, the importa- 
tion, manufacture, sale and use of the poison. 

The action of commissioner Lin in destroying the opi- 
um was taken by the English as a sufficient pretext for war, 
which was accordingly declared in 1840. The British fleet 
soon after arrived and the work of coercion commenced. 
It was the strong against the weak, the giants among pig- 
mies. The Chinese were defeated at every point. In the 
records of the war such statements as these are to be found: 



OPIUM TRAFFIC. 43 I 

" Chinese loss, five hundred killed; the English did not lose 
a man." " Several thousand Chinese troops defended a 
fort." " Only one hundred of them accepted quarter." It 
was slaughter and massacre instead of war. 

Under such conditions the heathens soon sued for 
peace. Their cities and towns had been bombarded and 
some of them destroyed, and many lives had been sacrificed 
to save the country from the evil that was being forced 
upon them by a Christian (?) nation. But these people 
died in vain! A treaty of peace was concluded and signed 
in 1842, which provided that four additional ports were to 
be opened to English trade and that opium must be admit- 
ted without molestation. In addition to this, the Chinese 
were compelled to pay the English $21,000,000 as indemnity 
and cede to them the Island of Hong Kong, which the 
Queen holds to-day. Such was the impetus given to the 
opium trade by the war, which is known in history as " The 
Opium War," that in 1850 the amount sent into China was 
not far from three million pounds. The traffic continued 
and still continues under the protest of the Chinese Em- 
peror. 

There is not recorded in the history of modern nations 
so dark a blot as that borne by the British on account of 
the opium war. It must not be forgotten that this took 
place under the reign of England's best ruler, Queen Vic- 
toria. 

Dr. M. M. Chipman, an authority on the opium ques- 
tion, has this to say concerning the traffic: 

" The enforced traffic of opium upon China is the great- 
est national sin and the most far-reaching in its conse- 
quences perpetrated by any nation of the century. In its 
quiet but uninterrupted sweep of destruction it has caused, 
so far as numbers alone are involved, greater loss of human 



432 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

life than war with all its attendant consequences. It has in- 
creased the death rate more than the epidemic diseases 
which have prevailed during the century. It has caused 
more helplessness and degradation, a wider spread of im- 
poverishment, a greater aggregate of suffering and misery 
than has any other of the agencies of the indulgence of ap- 
petite, or gratification of sensual pleasure. It has blocked 
the wheels of progress in the matter of the dissemination of 
Christian truth, and obstructed the advance of civilization 
more than any other obstacle." 

One of the Queen's own subjects, Rector Cleife, of 
Hardington, Somerset, England, in his book, " England's 
Greatest National Sin," in which he tells of the enormity of 
the opium traffic and of the dark blot it has brought on 
England, says: "I am pleased to see there is a new period- 
ical called Darkest Russia, published by a committee formed 
in London for the purpose of making known the leading 
facts with regard to the Muscovite Jew. I wish I could sug- 
gest to philanthropists in Russia a similar periodical enti- 
tled Darkest England, and devote its pages to the opium 
question and England's relation to it. Should each nation 
thus cause the other to ' cease to do evil,' a very great bless- 
ing to humanity would be the result. There may be some 
men in both countries who may be justified in taking up 
these causes, but let no man condemn the national sin of an- 
other country while he ignores his own nation's guilt. 

" I have called the opium traffic ' England's Greatest 
National Sin' for these, among other, reasons: 

" i. Because we allow our Indian subjects to indulge 
in a vice which is unlawful in this country. 

" 2. Because we sell opium in Burmah against the re- 
ligion and wishes of the people. 



DIFFICULT QUESTIONS. 433 

" 3. Because we sell it to China, and will not allow an 
extra tax to be put on it when carried inland, thus prevent- 
ing any province of China from protecting itself by a local 
prohibitive duty. 

" 4. Because it is a very great hindrance to Christian 
missions. 

" Dr. Medhurst tells us, ' Almost the first word uttered 
by the Chinese when anything is said concerning the excel- 
lence of Christianity is. "Why do Christians bring us opi- 
um? . . . The vile drug has destroyed my son, has ruined 
my brother, and well-nigh led me to beggar my wife and 
children. Surely those who import such a deleterious sub- 
stance, and injure me for the sake of gain, cannot be in pos- 
session of a better religion than my own." ' This is a con- 
troversial subject, and let it be remembered that I plead on 
one side, viz., the anti-opium side, and have adduced, to 
prove my views, the strongest and most reliable evidence I 
can find. It is for others to refute these statements if pos- 
sible. All who attempt it, in my opinion, will find that 
there are very many difficult questions to answer. 

"Take the following four as examples: 

" 1. As the sale of opium is restricted in England, so 
that it cannot be sold in any form withont being labeled 
' poison,' why is it that in India it is sold without that most 
proper restriction? 

" 2. The former rulers of Burmah condemned opium- 
smoking, and punished the offenders with death. Why, 
then, should we, the present rulers of that country, give 
them such facilities as we do to procure that drug, and es- 
pecially when by such conduct we encourage them to act 
contrary to the teachings of their religion? 

" 3. As the Indian opium is stronger, and therefore 
more injurious, than the same drug grown in China, why do 



434 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

we prevent the Chinese protecting themselves against it in 
any way which the}' may please, and are we justified in dic- 
tating the maximum tax to be put upon it? 

"4. Would the opium traffic be defended if it were not 
for the revenue obtained from it? 

" Perhaps there is no greater anomaly than the fact 
that her Most Gracious Majesty is both ' Defender of the 
Faith ' and also a dealer in opium, selling it in very large 
wholesale quantities; and what perhaps seems still more 
anomalous is that a single cake of the drug can be pur- 
chased at the Government stores for other than medicinal 
purposes. Moreover, her Majesty identifies herself with it 
so very closely that her initials are placed on the drug, and 
the stores are guarded by her soldiers. 

"When our beloved Queen in 1858 took possession of 
India, the proclamation announcing her direct control ren- 
ders homage to our national faith in God and in Christ — 
' Firmly relying ourselves on the truth of Christianity, and 
acknowledging with gratitude the solace of religion.' Let 
these noble words inspire us to use every lawful effort, that 
no one may say: The same person who is styled ' Defender 
of the Faith ' may also be described as ' A seller of opium- 
balls for other than medicinal purposes.' I mean, of course, 
in the same limited sense as when we speak of the Queen's 
soldiers. 

" Think not that I thus write from lack of loyalty, but 
rather, being a most loyal subject, I argue that, as our opium 
traffic is associated with the name of the best Queen who 
ever lived — and this is especially the foreigner's view of the 
subject — it affords an extra powerful reason for demanding 
an immediate reform. Those in power profess loyalty and 
affection to our beloved Queen; let them show it by wiping 



CITY OF PALACES. 435 

out the darkest blot which, in a qualified sense, is connected 
with her most illustrious name. 

"The 'Annual Reports on the Administration of the 
Bombay Presidency ' show that opium which is grown, 
manufactured, and sold by the Indian representatives of our 
Christian queen, Victoria, is beginning to find its way into 
Africa. In her early womanhood she was able to tell an 
African chief that the secret of England's greatness was the 
Bible. The majority of Englishmen concur with that state- 
ment. Let them therefore demand that our Asiatic policy 
be not contrary to the teaching of God's Word, and thus 
uphold our religion and the honor of our beloved Queen." 

While we have been engaged in making observations 
upon the introduction of opium into China by England, 
with its attendant evils, our train has rolled along the side 
of the Hooghly river, and a few minutes later we reach 
Calcutta, in name only the City of Palaces. 

Upon our arrival in the city we considered ourselves 
especially fortunate in finding lodgings in the comfortable 
home at the Baptist Mission, presided over by Mr. and Mrs. 
Jewson. Mrs. Jevvson {nie Miller) formerly resided at 
Sharpsburg, Md., and was well acquainted with a number of 
our own church members in that locality. We at once felt 
quite at home. It seemed that we were not among stran- 
gers, but with warm-hearted friends. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
Jewson are earnest missionary workers and are full of zeal 
for the cause in which they have enlisted. They have been 
in India nearly a score of years, and are well acquainted 
with the work and its demands. Mr. Jewson devotes his 
time to preaching the Word to the natives and he informed 
me that the best helpers are the native preachers. They are 
earnest and zealous and succeed where the white man often 
fails. We enjoyed our stay at this place very much indeed, 



LJT5& 




ASIATIC CHOLERA. 437 

and received much valuable information as to the mission 
work among the heathen. We left them, feeling under 
many obligations to this kind missionary family. 

Calcutta is the capital of British India, and the seat of 
the Supreme Government. It is one of the largest cities in 
India, having a population of 840,000 souls, with more Eu- 
ropeans and Americans, perhaps, than any other city in the 
East. The city is situated on the banks of the Hooghly 
river, one of the mouths of the sacred Ganges, nearly a hun- 
dred miles from the sea. Being so far inland, it is cut off 
entirely from the sea breeze, and during the greater part of 
the year it is oppressively hot, the average temperature for 
a series of years being about eighty degrees. The mercury 
often rises to one hundred and six in the shade. 

In this part of India is to be found the home of the 
dreaded disease, Indian or Asiatic cholera. With the ex- 
treme heat and an annual rainfall reaching as high as nine- 
ty-three inches, all the conditions for the propagation of 
the disease are found. When the disease assumes the form 
of an epidemic, as it often does, thousands of the natives 
and many Europeans are carried away. We learned, soon 
after our arrival in Calcutta, that the disease had broken 
out and that a number of natives were dying every day. 
One report gave the number of deaths at forty-eight each 
day. A danger faced loses much of its dread. We found 
this to be true when we were in close quarters with the 
cholera. We did not seem to fear it as much as when at 
home we heard that our couutry was threatened by an in- 
vasion of the disease. Of course it was confined to the 
native quarter of the city, and we did not come into im- 
mediate contact with it. 

Calcutta is like most other large cities in India. It has 
its European and its native quarters, and what has been 



438 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

said of Bombay in these pages, might be applied to the 
Capital of India. The Government House, Town Hall, 
Legislative Chamber and Post-office are all imposing struc- 
tures built after modern architectural models. There are 
also many fine private residences, the property of the gov- 
ernment officials. Then there are the narrow streets and 
crowded bazaars and low mud houses of the native quarter. 
As in Bombay, so here, many of the people live in the 
streets. 

There is not a large city or town in India that has not 
been the scene of some terrible crime perpetrated in the 
name of war, and Calcutta is no exception to the rule. 
Cawnpore has its Memorial Well, Lucknow its battered. 
Residency, Delhi the wonderful story of its siege, and Cal- 
cutta its Black Hole. The story has been told over and 
over again, but in the hope that it will create a stronger 
sentiment against war, with all its cruelties, it is repeated 
again. We are indebted to Poole and Macaulay for the ac- 
count here given. 

It was in 1756, when Calcutta was a small town, with a 
European population of some two hundred merchants and 
traders. The East India Company supplied these traders 
with a small body of troops for their protection. Nazim 
was the ruler of Bengal at this time, and he had always 
shown a friendly spirit toward the English. Upon his death 
his grandson, Dowlah, ruled in his stead. For some unex- 
plained reason he hated the merchants of Calcutta with a 
deadly hatred, and he determined to exterminate them. 
For this purpose he assembled an army of fifty thousand of 
his best soldiers and marched upon the doomed city. The 
English were able to put only one hundred and seventy 
armed men in defense of the place. Mr. Holwell was the 
leader of the little band of defenders. They kept the ene- 



THE BLACK HOLE. 439 

my at bay four days, and then, under promise that their 
lives would be spared, they surrendered to the young Na- 
bob. How well this promise was kept the sequel will show. 

Mr. Holwell was taken before the Indian prince, who 
fiercely upbraided him for defending the place. When he 
returned to his comrades, he found them surrounded by a 
strong guard. Then, without a suspicion of the fate that 
awaited them, the prisoners asked where they were to be 
lodged for the night. 

Then was committed that great crime, memorable for 
its singular atrocity, memorable for the tremendous retribu- 
tion by which it was followed. The English captives were 
left to the mercy of the guards, and the guards determined 
to secure them for the night in the prison of the garrison, a 
chamber known by the fearful name of the Black Hole. 
Even for a single European malefactor that dungeon would, 
in such a climate, have been too close and narrow. The 
space was only twenty feet square. The air holes were 
small and obstructed. It was the summer solstice, the 
season when the fierce heat of Bengal can scarcely be ren- 
dered tolerable to natives of England by lofty halls and 
the constant wavings of fans. The number of prisoners was 
one hundred and forty-six. When they were ordered to en- 
ter the cell, they imagined the soldiers were joking; and, be- 
ing in high spirits on account of the promise of the Nabob 
to spare their lives, they laughed and jested at the absurdity 
of the notion. They soon discovered their mistake. They 
expostulated, they entreated, but in vain. The guards 
threatened to cut down all who hesitated. The captives 
were driven into the cell at the point of the sword and the 
door was instantly shut and locked upon them. 

Nothing in history or fiction, not even the story which 
Ugolino told in the sea of everlasting ice, after he had 



440 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

wiped his bloody lips on the scalp of his murderer, ap- 
proaches the horrors which were recounted by the few sur- 
vivors of that night. They cried for mercy. They strove 
to burst the door. Kolwell, who, even in that extremity, 
retained his presence of mind, offered large bribes to the 
goalers, but the answer was that nothing could be done 
without the Nabob's orders, that the Nabob was asleep, and 
that he would be angry if anybody awoke him. Then the 
prisoners went mad with despair. They trampled each 
other down, fought for the places at the windows, fought 
for the pittance of water with which the cruel mercy 
of the murderers mocked their agonies, raved, prayed, 
blasphemed, implored the guards to fire upon them. The 
goalers, in the meantime, held lights to the bars, and 
shouted with laughter at the frantic struggles of their vic- 
tims. At length the tumult died away in low gaspings and 
moanings. The day broke. The Nabob had slept off his 
debauch, and permitted the door to be opened. But it was 
some time before the soldiers could make a lane for the 
survivors, by piling up on each side the heaps of corpses 
upon which the burning climate had already begun to do its 
loathsome work. When at length a passage was made, 
twenty-three ghastly figures, such as their own mothers 
would not have known, staggered out of the charnel-house. 
A pit was instantly dug; the dead bodies, a hundred and 
twenty-three in number, were flung into it promiscuously 
and covered up.* 

As soon as the dead were buried, Dowlah called the 
living into his presence. Holwell was among the number. 
Mrs. Carey, a lady who had refused to leave her husband 
when the other women escaped in the ship, also appeared. 
It was marvelous how she lived through the night in the 

* Macaulay. 



RETRIBUTION AND VENGEANCE. 441 

dungeon, when her husband and other strong men perished. 
She was placed in the harem of the Nabob at Moorshede- 
bad, and kept a prisoner for six years. She died at Calcut- 
ta in 1801. 

Mr. Holwell was loaded with chains and sent to a pris- 
on in the interior; the rest of the survivors of that fearful 
night were lodged in miserable huts and fed only on grain 
and water. They all eventually gained their liberty. Mr. 
Holwell survived the event forty years. 

Retribution and vengeance soon fell upon the monster 
in human shape who was responsible for this terrible crim;. 
Lord Clive marched upon him with twenty-four hundred 
English troops and overthrew his vast army. A great 
slaughter ensued. The Nabob was captured and put to 
death, and thus closed another chapter of the horrible cru- 
elties of war. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



Calcutta to Darjeeling — An Upward Climb — Railroading Above the 

Clouds — The Himalayan Mountains — A Grand View — The Ran- 

jit River — A Cane Bridge — The Bhooteas — The Prayer Wheel — 

Wind and Water Assist in Praying — Leaving Calcutta — ■ The 

Hooghly River — Madras — The Juggernaut. 

We were glad to leave the hot, stifling air of Calcutta, 
with its indescribable smells and its cholera-infected dis- 
trict, for a journey to the Himalayas, where we could enjoy 
the fresh, crisp, frosty mountain air. The trip was made in 
the early days of February. We had been having warm 
summer weather from the time we left home in May until 
now, and we longed for a breath of fresh winter air. We 
were told that we would need our overcoats and heavy 
wraps for our trip to the "Top of the World," as the Hin- 
dus call Mount Everest and its surrounding peaks, and we 
found the advice timely. It requires twenty-four hours to 
make the journey, a distance of two hundred and forty-six 
miles, and the expense of the round trip is about eighteen 
dollars. 

Leaving the capital, we pass through many native vil- 
lages where the people were busy with their daily labor. 
Rice fields, indigo plantations, and the opium-producing 
poppy gardens cover the rich bottom lands of the Hooghly 
and Ganges rivers. The huts of the dwellers in eastern 
Bengal are much like those in other parts of India, and the 
same statement applies to their mode of living. About 
clothing they have but little concern. The dhoti is gener- 
ally worn in the towns and villages, to be laid aside in the 
(442) 



HIMALAYAN RAILROAD. 443 

fields, and you may see thousands of bronzed figures at 
work in the hot sun, with no covering save that afforded by 
a mere strip of cotton cloth wrapped about the loins. 

The railway stations along the line have peculiar names, 
as, for example, Rhanaghat, Damookdea, Jalpaiguri and 
others equally unpronounceable to our English tongue. 
At Silliguri we reached the terminus of the North Bengal 
Railway. From this point runs the Himalayan railroad, 
with the iron rails laid but two feet apart, and with such 
small cars that, upon seeing them, one is forcibly reminded 
of a toy railway. But it is a real iron road, and, it is said, 
pays the fortunate stockholders, the Gladstones of England, 
some forty per cent annually. 

The distance from Silliguri to Darjeeling is fifty miles, 
and the schedule time is eight hours. This is but six and a 
quarter miles an hour, — slow running for a train of cars, and 
yet quite fast enough for the nerves of passengers; fast 
enough when the dizzy heights are scaled and the abrupt 
sides of the mountain peaks are rounded. The road, with a 
gradient of one mile in thirty, starts a few feet above the 
level of the sea and reaches an elevation of some seven 
thousand feet at its terminus. 

The scenery is grand beyond the power of the pen to 
describe. The Himalayan mountains rise abruptly from the 
plain and reach their culmination in the lofty peak of Mount 
Everest, nearly five and a half miles high. Pike's Peak, in 
our own grand Rocky Mountain range, is less than half as 
high as Everest, and then, as you approach the " Old Rock- 
ies," you ascend gradually until the foot-hills are reached, 
and then you are six thousand feet above the sea. But the 
Himalayas rise up in all their grandeur abruptly from the 
plain, which is but a few feet above the common level. The 



444 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

Rocky Mountains, if placed by the side of the Asiatic 
giants, would form for them only appropriate foot-hills. 

No sooner had we left the station than the ascent be- 
gins. We pass through jungle after jungle where the un- 
dergrowth of tropical vegetation is so dense that the eye 
cannot penetrate it. In these jungles amid the mountain 
fastnesses are to be found the homes of the Bengal tiger, 
the spotted leopard, and many other savage beasts of prey. 

Our powerful engines move us slowly upward, and we 
notice that in two hours we have ascended two thousand 
feet. The scenery now becomes more wild and rugged. 
At one place the mountains surround a deep circular open 
space, resembling, more than anything else, a gigantic bowl 
formed by the hand of the Creator. It is at least two thou- 
sand feet deep, and more than a mile wide at the rim. The 
bottom is covered with villages and rice-fields, while on the 
sides are numerous tea plantations, or gardens as they are 
called. The road passes round and round the inside of the 
rugged bowl, rising higher and higher at each circuit until 
at last — rounding a high mountain peak, and running so 
near the edge that from the side of the car you might, if 
your nerves were strong enough, look down thousands of 
feet — it passes through a tunnel and reaches the top of the 
first mountain ridge. 

The last part of our journey, was among the clouds. 
The mist gathered about us in great, dark folds and rolled 
down the mountain side. So dense and dark it was that we 
could scarcely see an object by the roadside only a few feet 
away. Presently we emerged from the thick vapor. Look- 
ing down upon the silvery mass at our feet, upon which the 
sun was shining, we realized that we were railroading above 
the clouds; for we had reached an elevation of more than a 
mile above our starting point. The lofty mountain peaks 



CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN. 445 

were visible for a few minutes only, and then the clouds, 
having given up part of their wealth of water, rose again 
and shut out mountain peak and sun. We reached our 
destination in rain and mist, and were glad to find a home 
in the Woodland Hotel, situated on the steep mountain side.- 
The evening was dark and gloomy and gave but little hope 
of a view of the snowy range on the morrow. 

In the early morning, before sunup, we were out climb- 
ing up the mountain side in order to reach a peak from 
which the best view of the snowy range could be had. The 
sky was cloudless. The rain of the day before had cleared 
the atmosphere of rain and mist. The air was cool and 
crisp. The ground was covered with white frost, and our 
upward climb was in every way very enjoyable. At last we 
reached the top of the peak and sat down to rest and enjoy 
the view. 

And what a scene it was! The pen is powerless when 
it comes to describe, and words fail to impart to others the 
impressions made upon the mind of the entranced beholder. 
To be realized a.ndfelt it must be seen. In the east the sun 
was just showing his upper rim, shining with noonday 
brightness in the clear, limpid atmosphere, and flooding 
hill and mountain top with the golden light of morning. 
Turning to the west there broke upon our astonished vision 
the grandest mountain scenery on the globe. The snowy 
range of the Himalayas, with a dozen peaks — all of which 
are more than eighteen thousand feet high, while the high- 
est towers upward twenty-nine thousand and two feet — is 
spread out before us in a grand panoramic view, grandly 
magnificent and marvelously beautiful. 

The Hindus are right. Surely this is the "top of the 
world." The sun shining with all his powers, undimmed by 
fog or mist, brought out, in full relief against the bright blue 



446 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

sky, each mountain peak, covered with pure white snow 
The clear-cut precipices, the deep valleys, and, above all, 
the snowy mountain range, transformed by the bright sun- 
light into huge masses of embossed silver, overwhelm one 
with the majesty of nature and the power of the Creator. 
Looking upon these grand peaks, touching, as it were, the 
azure of heaven, we said, Surely the earth showeth the 
handiwork of God; for ever since the world was formed by 
the power of the Almighty, and the morning stars sang to- 
gether for joy, this eternal region of ice and snow has held 
in close embrace these stupendous peaks, reared by the 
hand of God himself. 

Such were some of our thoughts as we saw the rising 
sun shine full and clear upon the snow-white mountain 
ranee. Another thus describes the setting sun, "Laneuacfe 
cannot describe the glories of the Himalayas, seen from 
Darjeeling, lit up by the rays of the setting sun. Against 
the azure sky, in an atmosphere far clearer than we ever see 
at home, the snowy range reflects the colors of the sunset, 
ever changing and deepening in richness from bright yellow 
to pink, from pink to crimson, and that, too, long after the 
sun is hid from us. A scene like this is something to be 
treasured as one of the noteworthy moments of life." 

The Hindu has selected these snowy fastnesses as the 
location of his future abode, for here, says he, no human ev- 
er has or ever will tread. And yet many a poor wanderer 
has met death in the vain attempt to scale the snowy range 
in search of Swarza. 

But there are not only heights upon heights to be 
viewed at Darjeeling. There are depths below depths as 
well. Here one gets a new and deeper meaning of Paul's 
words, "depth and height," as he looks down and down to 
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BRIDGE OVER THE RANJIT RIVER. 449 

more than six thousand feet below. Then, from this lowest 
point of vision, the eyes are raised along the side of the 
forest-clad hills, upward to precipice and peak, up to the 
realm of everlasting ice and snow, and still up higher and 
higher to the tops of the azure-kissed peaks soaring in the 
sky. It is said that from the lowest point which the eye 
can reach in the valley of the Ranjit to the top of the high- 
est peak visible, the vertical height is at least five miles, and 
that such thickness of the earth's crust can be seen nowhere 
else on the globe. 

From Darjeeling to the bed of the Ranjit river, which 
separates it from the Himalayan range, shown on another 
page, you go down six thousand feet in traveling eleven 
miles. The river is crossed by a cane bridge of peculiar 
construction. Bamboo and rattan canes are used in its con- 
struction. The limbs of two overhanging trees are utilized 
as main supports for the frail structure. The trunks of the 
trees are used as piers. Side rails are provided, and but a 
single traveler may pass over at a time. The swing of the 
structure is considerable, but it is perfectly safe for the pas- 
sage of the river. 

From one point of view we looked down several thou- 
sand feet, upon what seemed to us a great valley covered 
with snow. But we soon found that what had the appear- 
ance of snow was a great mass of white clouds, upon which 
the sun poured his rich, white light and transformed the 
whole upper surface of the cloud into a seeming lake of 
molten silver. Then we knew more fully than we had ever 
known before that every cloud has a silver lining. Below 
the mist was the village, and to the inhabitants thereof was 
only visible the darkness and blackness of the storm cloud; 
but we knew that above it and upon it the sun did shine. 

Then came the thought that over the horizon of all our 



NATIVES OF DARJEELING. 45 1 . 

lives come the storm clouds. We were not created to 
dwell on mountain peaks, but in the valleys under the 
clouds, where human help and human sympathy must be 
given and received. The notion that we can live above the 
sorrows and the sympathies and the cares and anxieties of 
life is a mistaken one. The Christian religion teaches us to 
meet, with humble boldness, the trials of life, and promises 
to give us grace to bear and overcome them all. The 
words, " My grace is sufficient for thee," were not spoken 
for dwellers above the clouds, but for those who come in 
contact with the "thorn in the flesh." The idea of a spirit- 
ual elevation that brings spiritual seclusion is contrary to 
the teachings of the New Testament. 

At Darjeeling we come in contact with a new race of 
people, radically different from the gentle natives of the 
plains below. They are small in stature but strong and 
powerfully built. They are inured to hardships and have 
wonderful powers of endurance. They tramp over the hills 
and mountains, carrying on their backs great burdens which 
we could not raise from the ground. They carry in their 
girdles long, murderous-looking, sickle-shaped knives. 
These serve them for all ordinary purposes, from the cut- 
ting down of small trees to the paring of their nails. An 
enraged Himalayan with his long knife, which he uses with 
great dexterity, would be a formidable antagonist. But 
they are a peaceable, quiet, contented people, having few 
wants and knowing but little of the outside world. They 
live on rice, speak the Thibetan dialect and are followers of 
the Buddhist religion. 

Here, too, we met, in large numbers, a race of people 
known as the Bhooteas. They are "tall and robust, sturdy, 
flat-faced people, weather-beaten, with broad mouths and 
flat noses; their complexion is whitish yellow, but incrusted 



452 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

with dirt and tar smoke. They seldom wash. They are 
dressed in loose blankets, girt about the waist with a leath- 
ern belt, in which they place their brass pipes, their long 
knives, tinder box, tobacco pouch, and tweezers, with which 
they pluck away all traces of the beard. They wear stout, 
woven boots, — boot and stocking all in one. The women 
have their faces tarred and their hair plaited in two long 
tails, the neck loaded with a string of amber and corals, and 
large, heavy earrings dragging down the lobe of the ear. 
They are almost continuously engaged in spinning." 

The Bhooteas are worshipers of a corrupt form of Bud- 
dhism. In their worship they use curiously-constructed 
wheels, known as prayer wheels. They also hang pieces of 
cloth, with prayers inscribed on them, on long poles stuck, 
in the ground. When they cross the mountains they tie 
their prayer-rags on the bushes and scatter grains of rice on 
the hillsides to keep away the evil spirits. 

It seems strange, indeed, to meet a people who believe 
in making use of machinery in their worship. But strange 
as it may seem, the Buddhists of Darjeeling and the coun- 
try farther north used many kinds of wheels or cylinders in 
their devotions. One may see machines of various kinds 
and shapes in almost constant use among these people. 
There are the. hand wheels which the worshiper twirls 
around with his fingers as he walks through the streets, the 
larger house and temple wheels propelled by the wind, and 
the still larger water wheels, the motive power being sup- 
plied by the running stream of water. 

According to Poole the use of these wheels can be 
traced back for at least a thousand, four hundred years. 
They are believed to have originated from the notion that 
it is an act of merit and a cure for sin to be forever reading 
or reciting portions of the writings of Buddha. But as 



PRAYER WHEELS. 453 

many of the poorer classes were unable to read, it came to 
be considered as sufficient for devotional purposes to turn 
over the rolled manuscript containing the precious sayings. 
This was found to save so much time and trouble that the 
people at once took to rolling instead of reading the writ- 
ings of their leader. In time this method became tiresome 
and the prayer wheel, as now used, was the result. 

" A hand prayer wheel is a little, round box or cylinder 
of either brass, copper or silver, about three inches in length 
by two and one-half in diameter. Ascriptions of praise to 
Buddha are closely written on strips of paper or cloth, and 
are tightly rolled around a spindle about six inches long, of 
which the lower half, forming the handle, is left bare. The 
upper half of the spindle, covered with the written prayers, 
is enclosed in a cylinder, made of brass and, in some cases, 
of silver. From the middle of the cylinder hangs a chain 
with a small lump of metal at the end, which, when the 
wheel is twirled around on a pivot, gives the necessary im- 
petus to the little machine, which revolves with but the 
slightest exertion and goes on grinding out any given num- 
ber of prayers." 

The form of prayer most generally used is the six- 
syllabled charm, containing these words, Om Maui Padmi 
Hon. Howard gives this translation of the words, " Hail to 
him of the lotus and jewel." Buddha is represented as be- 
ing seated on a lotus blossom with a jewel in his forehead, 
hence the allusion to jewel and lotus in the prayer. Thou- 
sands and tens of thousands of times are these words re- 
peated over and over again by every Buddhist worshiper, 
thus illustrating the truth of the words of the Savior when 
he referred to the vain repetitions of the heathen. 

We saw a number of men walking about the streets 
twirling their little wheels, praying after their notion of 



454 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

praying as they went. Some of them offered their wheels 
for sale, and no relic hunter leaves Darjeeling without one 
of these curious little cylinders. Some of the worshipers, 
however, are averse to selling them, fearing that the pur- 
chaser might turn them the wrong way, which, according 
to their belief, would result in great evil to them. 

But the people use not only hand wheels in their de- 
votions; they harness the wind and the water and compel 
these elements to assist them in repeating their prayers in 
honor to Buddha. The wind wheels are placed on horizon- 
tal bars, supported by upright posts. Each wheel has two 
fan-like projections, and revolves rapidly when the wind 
strikes them. They are placed on the top of a hill or 
mountain where they will constantly catch the breeze. The 
water cylinders are constructed over a running stream, 
where a miniature wheel, propelled by the water, keeps the 
praying machine in constant motion day and night, grinding 
out tens of thousands of prayers. While the wind blows 
and the water flows, the Buddhist believes that he is storing 
up unlimited merit without other expense or trouble than is 
necessary to construct and keep in order his praying ma- 
chines. 

Then, too, at all the temples are cylinders, as large as an 
oil barrel, filled with prayers. These are so arranged that 
by pulling on a rope they are set in rapid motion. Those 
who come to worship first ring a bell to wake their god 
from his sleep, then take a pull at the rope, and go away 
satisfied that they have performed their religious duty. 

There are also prayer flags a yard in width and of great 
length. These are attached to high poles and are inscribed 
with prayers and ascriptions of praise. As they are stirred 
by the mountain breeze, and their folds are spread out on 



MACHINE PRAYING. 455 

the wings of the wind, the worshiper believes that his prayer 
is wafted to the ears of his god. 

One can have no other feeling than that of sadness in 
looking upon these evidences of the superstition of the peo- 
ple. It is not easy to believe that men and women can be 
duped in this way. But ignorance, superstition and idolatry 
are a triplet that walk hand in hand. Destroy the first, and 
the second and third go down. Replace their false religion 
with the true religion of Jesus Christ, and idols and prayer 
machines will disappear from among them. 

We wondered whether all the machine praying is con- 
fined to the Buddhists of the Himalayas. How about the 
form of words that some Christians fall into the habit of 
repeating over and over again, having neither purpose nor 
spirit? Let us take heed lest the words of our mouths fall 
mechanically from our lips and make our prayers like unto 
those of the Buddhist, whose prayer wheels are twirling all 
about the Himalayas to-day. 

Returning again to the hot, stifling air of Calcutta, we 
arranged for our departure for Madras and Ceylon. Before 
going we visited the Botanical Gardens and had a view of 
Kalighat, which gave its name to Calcutta. The gardens 
are said to be the finest in India and are well worth a visit. 
The great banian tree with a circumference of fifty-four feet 
— whose branches and descending roots, forming additional 
trunks, reach out to a circumference of about three hundred 
yards — is the center of attraction. As the branches grow 
from the parent stem they throw out root-like tendrils, and 
these grow downward until they reach the ground, and then 
take root and form the body of a tree. So the process goes 
on until a large tract is covered by a single banian tree. 

Kalighat is four miles south of Calcutta, and here the 
worship of Kali, the bloody goddess of India, is engaged in. 



TEMPLE AT KALIGHAT. 4^7 

We did not visit the temple, but give the experience of one 
who did. The legend connected with the place says that 
when "Kali, wife of Shiva, was cut in pieces by order of the 
gods, one of her fingers fell here, and a temple was raised 
in her honor. The present temple was built three hundred 



KALI . AND HER DEMON SPOUSE. 

years ago, and renewed in 1809; its priests are called ' Hal- 
dar,' and amass great wealth from the daily offerings of pil- 
grims. There are many festivals, to which immense crowds 
resort, especially on the second day of the Durja Puja, the 
great Bengali religious festival in honor of the goddess, 



458 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

held at the autumnal equinox. The street off which the 
temple lies is full of shops for the sale of idol pictures, im- 
ages and charms. When we arrived, sacrifices were being 
offered in the midst of an excited crowd. In an area before 
the temple stood the priest, and beside him the executioner, 
sword in hand. We saw three kids and two buffaloes sacri- 
ficed. The head of the victim is fastened in a wooden vise, 
its body is held up by the hind legs, and the sacrificer 
strikes with his sword. If the head is severed with one 
stroke, the victim is considered acceptable to the goddess, 
and its blood is collected by the priest, carried into the 
shrine, and sprinkled upon her huge projecting tongue. We 
could see in the distance the hideous idol within, its tongue 
streaming with blood. If the head of the animal is not sev- 
ered with the first stroke, it is considered unacceptable, and 
is cast aside. The officiating Brahman, almost naked, with 
the sacred cord round his neck, was a fierce-looking, but 
very shrewd man. He could speak English. We found 
that he had been when a boy five years at the Bhowanipore 
Mission School, and that a near kinsman of his was a con- 
vert to Christianity and a missionary. Upon my saying, 
'How can you carry on these revolting rites? You know 
that they are in vain;' 'Yes,' he replied, 'I know it, but the 
people will have it, and I must get my living.' The man 
evidently disbelieved in his heathenism and might be a 
professor of Christianity if he saw it would pay." 

We sailed away from Calcutta for Madras and Ceylon's 
spicy isle on the 4th day of February by the staunch steam- 
er "Chusan," of four thousand tons burden and well fitted 
for the comfort of the passengers. We took leave of north- 
ern India and of our missionaries with the feeling strong up- 
on us that we should see each other's faces no more in the 
flesh. But we commended them and ourselves to the grace 



THE HOOGHLY RIVER. 459 

of God, who is able to keep what we have committed to 
him against that day. In the evening when we went aboard 
the boat, as we were entering the companionway, I had the 
misfortune to make a misstep, which resulted in a sprained 
back, necessitating close confinement in the stateroom for 
several days. 

From the City of Palaces we sailed down the Hooghly 
river some ninety miles to the sea. The navigation of the 
stream is a delicate and dangerous business. It is one of 
the most treacherous rivers in the world, and many a good 
ship lies embedded in its sand and mud. The stream, after 
uniting with the Ganges, flows into the Bay of Bengal, the 
birthplace and home of the cyclone and hurricane. A short 
distance below Calcutta, thrown up by the swirl of the river, 
is a great sand bar, which can be crossed only at high tide. 
Our pilot cast anchor before reaching the bar, and our ship 
rested on the bosom of the river eighteen hours waiting for 
high tide to carry us over the dangerous shoal. The day 
was delightfully cool, and the delay was not unpleasant. 
On both banks of the stream were numerous Bengali vil- 
lages, each nestling in its grove of palms and bamboos. The 
natives could be seen about their work, and the scene was a 
pleasant one. At last the anchors were lifted, the sand bar 
crossed in safety, and, continuing our course down the 
stream, we saw Sangor Island, the paradise of the tiger. It 
is said the place is full of these ferocious animals. The 
stream gradually widens and we steam out upon the yellow 
flood of the Ganges, bounded on both sides by the blue wa- 
ters of the sea. 

The voyage from Calcutta to Ceylon, by way of Mad- 
ras, a distance of some fifteen hundred miles, was quiet and 
tranquil. The cyclone and hurricane, so common in these 
tropical waters, came not to disturb our peace of mind; and 



460 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

day after day the "Chusan" glided over the blue waters of 
the sleeping ocean on her way to Colombo. A cloudless 
sky, from which the sun shone with ever-increasing power 
as we neared the equator, made a striking contrast with the 
sapphire of the bay which was broken into a chain of beauti- 
ful silver-crested ripples by schools of flying fish rising and 
falling as the ship moved on her course. One of these sin- 
gular fish, taking a higher flight than its companions, came 
through an open porthole and was found in one of the 
cabins. It served a young lady artist on board the ship as. a 
model for a fine drawing of this winged denizen of the 
deep. It was at one time thought that the fish did not fly, 
but was carried into the air from the crest of the waves by 
the force of the motion secured before leaving the water, 
but they do use their fin-like wings in sailing through the 
air. Hour after hour we watched them sporting on the sur- 
face of the sea, and are satisfied that they do use their large 
fins as the bird uses its wings in making long flights. 

And now we cast anchor at Madras, the one important 
city of southern India, with nearly half a million souls. 
How it ever grew to its present importance is a query with 
all who visit the place. Without a large river, without a 
natural harbor, on a coast swept by cyclones, hurricanes 
and tidal waves, Madras has clung to the shore of the sea 
until it has become one of the leading cities of India. It is 
only thirteen degrees north of the equator and the people 
know nothing of cold weather even in winter. In the mid- 
summer months the heat becomes almost intolerable. 

We spent only time enough in this southern capital to 
gain a superficial knowledge of its surroundings. The im- 
pressions received were not unpleasant. We drove through 
the parks and the business streets, and visited some of 
the temples and found that in a general way Madras is 



TEMPLE OF JUGGERNAUT. 461 

like most other cities of India already fully described in 
this work. 

One of the temples visited had more than usual inter- 
est. It was the storeroom of the well-known car of Jugger- 
naut. Who has not heard of this great car and of the peo- 
ple crushed to death beneath its massive wheels in the fes- 
tival given in honor of the lord of the world, as the people 
call the idol whose image makes the great car so hideous? 

The largest temple of Juggernaut is at Buri, and is on 3 
of the sights of India. Within the large enclosure is the 
idol, with his brother and sister on either side. They are 
the most hideous caricatures of the human body that can 
well be imagined, and may be described as nothing but 
huge logs of wood roughly carved into a semblance of hu- 
man shape, but without arms or legs. Upon inquiry why 
the god has been deprived of these necessary parts of the 
body, the priest in charge will tell you that the lord of the 
world has no need of arms or legs; a statement easily be- 
lieved after getting a view of the idol. The trio form the 
ugliest, as well as the most popular, group of idols in India. 

Each of the three idols has a special car for its own use. 
The great car designed for the chief god is forty-five feet 
high, thirty-five feet square, and is supported by sixteen 
broad wheels, each seven feet in diameter. During the car 
festival the idol is brought out of his temple and placed on 
the immense wagon. According to a commom belief, ele- 
phants, horses or oxen must not be used to draw the car. 
Four thousand, two hundred men are selected for the pur- 
pose of dragging the huge structure. It is deemed a great 
honor to be chosen for this purpose, and those who do the 
work are kept at Puri free of expense during the festival. 

One of the missionaries who witnessed the dragging of 
the car says that it is a remarkable sight. Immense ropes, or 



VOLUNTARY SACRIFICE. 463 

rather cables, are manufactured and attached to the car, and 
at the word of command from the priests, the thousands 
rush forward, seize the ropes and arrange themselves in the 
order of march, and the next moment are straining and pull- 
ing at the cumbersome conveyance, which at length moves 
with a heavy, creaking noise. The road over which the car 
is dragged is crowded with tens of thousands of excited 
spectators, all wild with fanaticism, some of whom are even 
willing to attest their faith in Juggernaut by throwing them- 
selves beneath the great wheels of the moving car and being 
crushed to death. Cases of this kind are now of very rare 
occurrence, and are rather the result of accident than of in- 
tentional self-immolation. The British government now 
takes great care to prevent accidents of this kind. When 
the festival takes place police officers surround the car to 
keep the excited throng away from the wheels. 

Mr. Tacy, a missionary at Puri, once saw a man crushed 
by the car, and has this to say of the horrible spectacle: 
" This afternoon I had an awful subject for my discourse, — 
the body of a man crushed to pieces by the car Juggernaut. 
The massive wheels had passed over his loins, and he pre- 
sented a shocking sight to look upon. The wheels of the 
car are made for this work of death most effectually, as 
the spokes project three or four inches beyond the felloe. 
The poor wretch had thrown himself from the front of the 
car, and so was a voluntary sacrifice. He seemed a respect- 
able man, apparently a Brahman. I felt I ought not to lose 
such an opportunity of witnessing against a system that 
produced such effects; so I took my stand over the body, 
and spoke with some feeling of the nature of the Hindu re- 
ligion and compared it with Christianity; and perhaps I 
never had a more serious congregation. Some hardened 
wretches standing by said, ' See, sir, the glory of Jugger- 



TAX ON IDOLATRY. 465 

naut,' pointing to the mangled body. I concluded by re- 
buking them, and recommending them to look to Jesus 
Christ for mercy and salvation which Juggernaut could 
never give." 

The most remarkable thing about the worship of Jug- 
gernaut is the great number of Hindus that make the pil- 
grimages to Puri to be present at the festivals. A Hindu 
gentleman who spent his life at Puri is authority for the 
statement that the number who flock to the temple never 
falls short of fifty thousand a year, and that three hundred 
thousand is the usual number of strangers present at the 
car festival. Some visitors aver that these figures are too 
low, and that from a half to one million human beings are 
present at the great festivals given each year to Juggernaut 
on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. 

The government, seeing the great masses of people 
coming up to the temple each year, determined to place a 
tax on each one and thus secure a revenue. When the Mo- 
hammedans were supreme rulers of India, it is said they 
secured half a million dollars in this way. The British gov- 
ernment continued the tax for some years, but finally, from 
a sense of shame, it is presumed, gave up the income re^ 
ceived from a tax placed on idolatry. At the present time 
all taxes and fees paid by the pilgrims, amounting, it is 
said, to a quarter of a million annually, are divided between 
the rajah — local governor of the district — and the priests. 
" The richer pilgrims heap gold and silver and jewels at the 
feet of the god, or spread before him charters and title- 
deeds conveying rich lands in distant provinces. Every 
one, from the richest to the poorest, gives beyond his abili- 
ty; many cripple their fortunes for the rest of their lives in 
a frenzy of liberality; and hundreds die on their way home 



466 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

from not having kept enough to support them on their 
journey." 

Such is a brief account of the worship of the armless 
and legless image of the Hindus' so-called lord of the 
world. As we looked at the car of Juggernaut, one 
thought came to us stronger than all others, and that was, 
Can it be possible that men and women, created in the im- 
age and the likeness of the living God, can be satisfied to 
worship these hideous idols? It is too true. And then we 
thought, Such as these are would we be, were it not for the 
blessed religion of Jesus Christ. We need only go back to 
the early centuries of our era to find our ancestors worship- 
ing idols in northern Europe. In their sacred groves were 
the images of Wodan, Thor, Fria, Saetere and Tiw. To 
these our forefathers offered sacrifice, and we have their 
names perpetuated to us in five of the days of our week. 
Let these facts impress upon our minds the truth that but 
for the religion of Jesus we should be idolaters to-day, as 
are the Hindus; and that as the missionaries of the cross 
brought the Gospel to our fathers, so it is our duty to send 
the light to the nations still in heathen darkness. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



Madras to Colombo — The Isle of Spice — Peculiar Boats — The Beau- 
ty of Ceylon — The finrikisha — The Cinnamon Gardens — A T ut- 
megs and Cloves — Cocoanuts — The Utility of the Cocoa Palm — ■ 
Precious Stones — Pearl Fisheries. 

"What though the spicy breezes 
Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle, 
Though every prospect pleases, 
And only man is vile," 

Sang good Bishop Heber more than seventy years ago, 
when, as a missionary, he first visited the beautiful island of 
Ceylon, which has been called, not inappropriately, "The 
Pearl of India." In prospect the island pleases every be- 
holder, but " the spicy breezes" are to be set down to poet- 
ical fancy or license. The cinnamon shrub, the nutmeg and 
clove trees, the pepper vine and other spices give out no 
fragrance until they are gathered, or the trees and shrubs 
are crushed. 

The journey from Madras to Colombo, by large ocean 
steamer, takes two days. There is a narrow passage crossed 
in a single night by the small mail steamers which ply be- 
tween the coast of India and Ceylon, but the depth of water 
is not sufficient for the "Chusan," and we take the longer 
route, coasting around the island, from north to south, until 
we are but five degrees from the equator. The first evening 
out we encountered a genuine tropical rainstorm. The ex- 
pression, "the rain came down in torrents," so commonly 
used at home, but feebly describes a heavy rainfall in this 

latitude. The air was literally a sheet of descending water. 

(468) 



COLOMBO. 469 

The officers of the ship, unable to see the prow of the boat 
from the bridge, stopped the engines and we lay to until 
the storm was over. The rain was unaccompanied by wind, 
and after witnessing the downpour of water we could well 
believe the statement that it is not an unusual occurrence to 
have from ten to twelve inches of rainfall in a few hours in 
the tropics. 

Ceylon is about one-half as large as the State of Illi- 
nois, having an area of twenty-five thousand square miles. 
The population is a little over three million, of whom less 
than six thousand are pure-bred Europeans. The island is 
rich in all kinds of tropical vegetation and is of unsurpassed 
natural beauty. 

It was eleven o'clock in the morning when the "Chu- 
san" steamed into the harbor of Colombo, which was crowd- 
ed with ships from all parts of the world; but the craft that 
occupied the most attention were the native boats. The 
canoe itself is but a foot and a half wide, with only room 
enough inside for the feet and the legs of the occupants. 
To this is fastened, by two bent spars about six feet long, a 
log which balances the boat and keeps it from upsetting. 
These odd-looking boats, driven before the wind by a single 
sail, cut through the water with wonderful speed. In 
stormy weather a man squats on the log to give the craft 
greater steadiness. 

Colombo, the capital, principal city and port of the 
island, is beautifully situated on the seashore, amidst groves 
of palms, bamboos and other fine shade trees. The popula- 
tion numbers about one hundred and thirty thousand, and 
the city enjoys a large trade in tea, coffee, spices, cocoanuts 
and other articles of export. On the street one sees a mixed 
crowd of busy people. Here are the native Cingalese, with 
Moors, Malays, Tamils, Brahmans, Burmese and a slight 



470 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

admixture of Europeans. The natives of the island have a 
dress peculiar to themselves. The men wear a dark-colored 
coat or jacket over a kind of white frock or skirt. Their 
long, black hair is combed back from the temples and is 
kept in place by a circular comb of tortoise shell. The 
women wear plaid skirts of various colors, a loose, white 
jacket, and secure their hair in a roll or knot. 

Upon landing we found that the hotels were crowded, 
owing to the fact that the Governor General had just ar- 
rived from England. We thought for a time that it would 
be impossible to find a lodging place, but, after going a 
mile from the principal part of the city, we found a very 
pleasant home at the Galle Face hotel, where we spent sev- 
eral weeks. Our home was on the seashore in a large grove 
of cocoanut palms, and although we. were very close to the 
equator the sea breeze made the place delightfully pleasant. 
The thermometer never rose above 86 by day or went below 
76 at night. In a temperature like this, with plenty of rain 
to keep the earth moist, the growth of vegetation is some- 
thing marvelous. We are tempted to quote, in part, Ar- 
nold's description of the place. 

It is impossible to exaggerate the natural beauty of 
Ceylon! Belted with a double girdle of golden sands and 
waving palm-groves, the interior is one vast garden of na- 
ture, deliciously disposed into plain and highland, valley 
and peak, where almost everything known to the tropical 
world grows under a sky glowing with an equatorial sun, 
yet tempered by the cool sea winds. Colombo itself, out- 
side the actual town, is a perfect labyrinth of shady bowers 
and flowery lakes and streams. For miles and miles you 
drive about under arbors of feathery bamboos, broad-leaved 
breadfruit trees, talipot and areca palms, cocoanut groves, 
and stretches of rice fields, cinnamon, and sugar-cane, amid 



STUDIES OF TROPICAL NATURE. 473 

which at night the fireflies dart about in glittering clusters. 
The lowliest hut is embosomed in palm fronds and the 
bright, crimson blossoms of the hibiscus; while, wherever 
intelligent cultivation aids the prolific forces of nature, there 
is enough in the profusion of nutmegs and allspice, of the 
India rubber and cinchonas, of cannas, dracoenas, crotons, 
and other wonders of the Cingalese flora to give an endless 
and delightful study to the lover of nature. 

The lanes and carriage drives about Colombo are con- 
tinuous studies of tropical nature at her brightest. Delight- 
ful it is to ride or drive under league-long avenues of giant 
bamboos, and palms loaded with green and yellow cocoa- 
nuts; to see the most splendid exotic sprays of bloom, of all 
conceivable hues and perfumes, running riot everywhere. 
It gives, in truth, a new conception of the bounty of crea- 
tion, to explore those dark-green alleys of Colombo, to cut 
a branch from the glossy cinnamon and taste its fragrant 
bark; to break out the new-veined nutmeg from its shell of 
scarlet mace; to send your willing Cingalese boy into the 
crown of the cocoanut tree, and to receive nut after nut full 
of sweet, fresh milk; to buy pine-apples a foot long for a few 
pennies and get vegetable breakfast-rolls from the bread- 
fruit tree; to watch ripe bananas sold by the cartload, and 
see flowers everywhere of the loveliest hues and forms, which 
would be costly exotics at home, draping every cottage 
door, and running wild over every hedge; to find the grass 
beneath your feet carpeted by the sensitive plant, which 
shrinks like a live thing if you touch it with your foot or 
stick in passing; to rest beneath a jack- fruit tree, laden with 
vast, scaly fruit, growing monstrously out of the trunk; to 
sit on the bench with the cinchona boughs on one hand and 
the graceful tulip branches on the other, and an avenue 
of mahogany trees behind, having twenty different species 



474 GIRDLING "THE GLOBE. 

of palms within view; yet all this and more you may see al- 
most anywhere within the environs of Colombo. 

At Colombo we enjoyed, or rather, were compelled to 
submit to, a ride in a jinrikisha, or 'ricksha as the vehicle is 
called all over the East. The word means literally " man 
power carriage." It is a small, two-wheeled vehicle with a 
top exactly like those on our buggies at home. It has 
springs and a comfortable seat for one occupant, and is 
drawn by a man who holds the shafts in his hands and pulls 
you along at the rate of from four to six miles an hour. It 
seems so much out of place to be hauled around by men 
instead of horses that it was some time before we could feel 
at all comfortable in the jinrikisha. But it is the only mode 
of conveyance for short distances, and as the men were so 
glad to pull us, in order to earn a little money, we soon fell 
in with this custom of the country. The expense of riding 
is about the same as one pays on the street-cars at home 
For long distances the charge is fifteen cents per hour. 

Our first ride was through the cinnamon gardens, and 
along the beautiful palm avenues. Perhaps in no other 
place in the world could such a delightful ride or drive be 
enjoyed. The avenues are delightfully shaded and the 
roads are as smooth as a floor. 

In the great riches of material found in the Island of 
Spices, from which to glean for our readers, we are more at 
a loss as to what we shall leave undescribed than as to what 
we shall describe. An interesting volume might be written 
descriptive of Ceylon. Our space gives us opportunity to 
refer to only a few of the things which so much interested 
us during our two weeks' stay on the beautiful island of the 
sea. 

On the west coast of Ceylon cinnamon is largely cul- 
tivated for export, there being about thirty-five thousand 



CINNAMON TREE. 475 

acres of ground devoted to the culture of the spice. It is 
probably a native of Ceylon. In 1894 the export of the 
spice was nearly three million pounds, valued at about four 
hundred thousand dollars, or a little over thirteen cents a 
pound to the planter. In London the bark of the first qual- 
ity sells in large lots at about forty cents per pound, while 
at home, in a small retail way, the consumer pays five cents 
per ounce for it, — a wide range of margin between what the 
producer gets and what the consumer pays. 

Cinnamon is referred to in the Bible, Exodus 30: 23, 
where God directs Moses to use spice, with other things, in 
compounding the holy oil, or ointment, with which Aaron 
and his sons were anointed. Reference is also made to it in 
Proverbs 7: 17, Songs of Solomon 4: 14, and Revelations 
18:13. 

In Bible times Rome traded with India and Ceylon, 
and cinnamon was one of the spices carried over the desert 
on camels, boated across the Red Sea and then, packed 
again on the back of the faithful ship of the desert, it was 
taken to the Nile and floated down to the sea. Here it was 
loaded on ships and taken to Puteoli, where Paul landed, 
and was then carried to the Imperial City of the Caesars. 

In those olden days the odors of the far-famed cinna- 
mon bark came to be associated with " Araby the blest." 
In the time of Augustus Caesar the fragrant bark sold in 
Rome for the enormous sum of forty dollars a pound, 

The cinnamon tree, or shrub, is kept well pruned, so 
that it does not grow more than ten feet high. The leaves 
are large and of a dark green color. The shoots from which 
the bark is taken are allowed to grow two or chree years, 
until they are eight or ten feet in height. They are then cut 
down, the leaves and small twigs trimmed off, and the stem 
cut into pieces each about one foot in length. The cinna- 



476 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

mon peeler inserts the thin blade of a knife between the 
bark and wood, and carefully peels it off in cylindrical 
pieces. These are placed one within another and the bark 
is tied up into bundles. It is now laid away until it passes 
through the sweating process. This makes it possible to 
remove the very thin outer bark, which is done by placing 
each piece on a stick separately and then carefully scraping 
it. After this the smaller pieces are placed within the larger 
ones, which curl around them and form the solid stick of 
cinnamon so well known to all. The fragrant spice is tied 
in bundles and placed in matting made of the palm tree, 
and is then ready for export. 

Nutmegs and cloves are also grown in Ceylon, but not 
so largely as the spice which we have been considering. 
The trees bearing these spices grow quite large, that of the 
nutmeg resembling in size the walnut tree. The nut is sur- 
rounded by a thick outer hull, which opens in sections like 
the hull on the shellbark. The nutmeg is covered inside 
the outer hull with a thin lacing of a yellow-colored spice, 
known as mace. We picked a number of these nuts from 
the trees and removed the outer hull, allowing the mace to 
remain in its place. 

The clove tree bears abundantly in the great gardens at 
Paredenia, near Kandy. After the bloom falls off, the min- 
iature clove is to be seen on the trees. It forms without 
hull, and when fully matured is of a dark green color. 
They are gathered and dried, and in the drying process turn 
to the dark-brown color as we find them when in the retail 
stores. Zanzibar furnishes the world with cloves, shipping 
as many as twenty-eight million pounds a year. 

Pepper and allspice are also produced in Ceylon in 
small quantities. These grow on vines and are cultivated 
in some parts of the island. Other spices grow in sufficient 



COCOANUT PALM. 477 

quantities in Ceylon to entitle it to the name it bears in 
Heber's missionary hymn. 

But of all the trees and shrubs that grow on the island, 
none are more extensively cultivated than the cocoanut 
palm, and this because of its value and the multiplied uses 
made of its products. 

At the Galle Face Hotel we picked up a report of hor- 
ticulture of Ceylon, and among other things learned that the 
cocoanut palm has these as well as many other uses: The 
leaves are used for roofing, for mats, for baskets, torches, 
fuel, brooms, fodder for cattle, and manure; the stem of the 
leaf for fences, for yokes, for carrying burdens on the 
shoulders, for fishing rods, and for many domestic utensils; 
the cabbage, or cluster of unexpanded leaves, for pickles 
and preserves; the sap for toddy, for distilling arrack, and 
for making vinegar and sugar; the unformed nut for medi- 
cine and sweetmeats; the young nut and its milk for drink- 
ing, for dessert, and the green husks for preserves; the nut 
for eating, for curry, and the milk for cooking; the oil for 
rheumatism, anointing the hair and the body, for soap, for 
candles and for lamps; and the refuse of the nut, after ex- 
pressing the oil, for feeding ca'ttle and poultry; the shell of 
the nut for drinking-cups, charcoal, tooth-powder, spoons, 
medicine, pipes, beads, bottles, and knife handles; the fibre, 
which envelops the shell within the outer husk, for mat- 
tresses, cushions, ropes, cables, cordage, canvas, fishing- 
nets, fuel, brushes, oakum and floor-mats; the trunk of the 
tree for rafters, laths, sail-boats, troughs, furniture, fire 
wood, and, when very young, the first shoots or cabbage as 
vegetables for the table. 

The foregoing are only a few of the many uses to which 
the cocoanut palm is adapted. It is, perhaps, more gener- 
ally cultivated in Ceylon than in other parts of the world. 



478 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

In 1894 it was estimated that there were nearly a million 
acres planted with the nut-bearing palm. The estimated 
number of trees was sixty-eight million, and the production 
of nuts, as given by one authority, exceeded a thousand 
million annually. The exports of the product of the cocoa- 
nut palm reaches an annual value of nearly six million dol- 
lars. 

The nut, when taken from the tree, is full of milk, and 
furnishes the thirsty traveler. with a refreshing draught. At 
any of the plantations you may buy them fresh from the 
trees for a few cents each. If one is hungry and thirsty, 
both conditions may be relieved with one of the large Cey- 
lon cocoanuts. 

The natives of Ceylon are a very pleasant people.. 
They are kind and courteous to strangers and make a favor- 
able impression upon those who visit them. We were out 
walking on one of the beautiful palm-shaded avenues. It 
was evening time and the fresh sea breeze cooled the tropi- 
cal atmosphere and made the walk decidedly pleasant. 
Just in front of us was a Cingalese lady. Her hair was 
raven black and its wealth was rolled up in a knot at the 
back of the head. On top was a circular comb of tortoise 
shell. She had on a striped skirt, coming down to the 
ankles, with a white blouse covering the body. As we came 
nearer to the figure, it turned around and faced us. Judge 
of our surprise when we saw the bearded face of a man. 
Our well-dressed lady turned out to be a Cingalese gentle- 
man. 

The men wear the hair long. We have seen some with 
hair three feet in length. It is as black as the raven's wing; 
no such black hair being seen among the Caucasians. It is 
rolled up on a knot and on top of the head is worn the tor- 
toise shell comb. This, with the long skirt and blouse, 



480 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

gives the men a decidedly feminine appearance. One can 
no more form a correct opinion of a person here by outward 
appearances than at home. 

Seventy-five miles inland from Colombo is the city of 
Kandy, the center of the Buddhist religion. We decided 
to see something of the inner part of the island of spices, 
and spent some days in making an excursion to the interior. 
A good railway connects Kandy with the sea coast. After 
leaving Colombo and crossing the coast plain, covered ev- 
erywhere with tropical luxuriance, the railway winds its way 
upward among the hills and mountains amidst scenery Al- 
pine in its grandeur with the added beauty of the rich vege- 
tation and flowers of Ceylon. Among these hills and 
mountains the elephant abounded at one time, but now is 
to be rarely seen in a wild state. Like the American buffa- 
lo, this monster of the tropical zone vanishes upon the ap- 
proach of the whites. The Ceylon elephant is not so large 
as his African brother, and seldom has the great ivory tusk 
so highly prized in the latter. 

In the valleys we pass innumerable rice fields and on 
the mountain sides great tea plantations. The laborers in 
the field are Tamils brought over from southern India, at- 
tracted by the higher wages paid in Ceylon. They are car- 
ried at reduced rates by the railways, and children under 
four feet in height are charged half fare. At home children 
under twelve are carried at half fare. If the measuring rule 
were adopted more fares would be collected. You can't 
shrink a foot measure as you can the years of a boy or girl. 

Kandy is one of the most beautiful little cities in Cey- 
lon. It is nestled among the thick wooded hills fifteen 
hundred feet above the level of the sea. A beautiful artifi- 
cial lake adds to the beauty of the surroundings. The cli- 
mate is delightful, the elevation making it cooler than the 



TEMPLE OF DALADA. 483 

plains, and the scenery is charming. I do not know a more 
delightful place so far as scenery and climate are concerned 
than Kandy. It is a summer resort for the Europeans who 
spend the cooler months on the coast. 

On the borders of the lake is found the temple of 
Dalada, the shrine of Buddha's tooth. The building is not 
imposing but it is the very center of Buddhism. It is 
claimed that the eyetooth of Buddha is enshrined in the 
temple. This relic of Gautama has a curious history. It 
was brought to Ceylon A. D. 310. It was afterwards taken 
back to India, but at a later date restored again to Kandy. 
When the Portuguese missionaries went to Ceylon in the 
sixteenth century they secured the tooth and in the pres- 
ence of witnesses reduced it to powder and scattered the 
powder to the four winds of the heaven. The records of the 
Portuguese show that this was done because the tooth was 
an object of worship. But the priests of Kandy produced 
another tooth, which they claimed was the real relic, and 
that the one taken by the Portuguese was only a counterfeit. 
It was conveyed to Dalada with much pomp and ceremony 
amidst great rejoicing by the people. When the English 
took possession of Kandy in 181 5 they allowed the priests' 
to retain possession of the relic. " The sanctuary in which 
it reposes is a small chamber without a ray of light, in 
which the air is stifling hot, and heavy with the perfume of 
flowers, situated in the inmost recesses of the temple. The 
frames of the doors of this chamber are inlaid with carved 
ivory, and on a massive silver table, three feet six inches 
high, stands the bell-shaped shrine, jewelled and hung round 
with chains, and consisting of six cases, the largest five 
feet high, formed of silver, gilt and inlaid with rubies; the 
others are similarly wrought, but diminish in size gradually, 
until, on removing the innermost one, about a foot in height, 



484 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

a golden lotus is disclosed, on which reposes the tooth. In 
front of the silver altar is a table upon which worshipers de- 
posit their gifts. 

Three miles from Kandy is the Paradenia Botanical 
Garden covering one hundred and fifty acres, where is to 
be found the finest collection of tropical vegetation in the 
world. A fine avenue of India rubber trees leads up to a 
wealth of palms of almost every known variety. We spent 
hours in the beautiful garden and wondered whether the Gar- 
den of Eden made for our first parents was more beautiful. 
Indeed tradition says that Eden was located here. Not far 
away is Adam's peak, the highest mountain on the island, to 
which it is claimed Adam fled after being expelled from the 
garden, hence the name of the mountain. Of course this is 
all legendary, but not out of harmony with the beauty of the 
place. 

We visited a large tea plantation in the vicinity of 
Paradenia and were much interested in seeing the cultivation 
and manufacture of tea. A field planted with the tea shrub 
presents a lively appearance during the picking season. 
Our photogravure will present more clearly the scene to the 
reader. The pickers each have a large basket which, when 
filled with the tender leaves, is carried to the factory, locat- 
ed in the centre of the grounds. Here the leaves are placed 
on cloth frames under roof for the wilting process. When 
they are plucked from the stalk the leaves are crisp and 
easily broken. After lying on the frames for a day they 
wilt and become tough so that they may be rolled. After 
wilting the tea is passed' through the rollers. These are 
large steel plates turning in opposite direction. As it 
passes between these revolving plates the tea is rolled up 
and shaped as it comes to us ready for steeping. Next 
comes the firing process where the product is thoroughly 



486 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

dried. It is then boxed ready for shipment. The manager 
of the tea plantation received us very kindly and gave us 
every facility for looking into the tea business. Of one 
thing the lovers of tea may rest assured. Ceylon tea is pure 
and clean. The same cannot be said of the Chinese product 
which is rolled by hands at best never clean. 

The mountains about Kandy abound in gems, for Cey- 
lon is not only the land of spices, but of pearls and precious 
stones as well. It has had many names given it, among 
which are "a pearl on the brow of India," " the island of 
jewels," and " the land of the jacinth and ruby." These 
names were given the island because of the many pearls 
found in its waters, and precious stones in its hills and val- 
leys. The place has also, not without good reason, been as- 
sociated with the Land of Ophir named in the Bible, to 
which Solomon's ships came in quest of gold and silver, 
ivory, apes, peacocks, almug trees, or sandal wood, and 
precious stones.* It is a fact worthy of note in this connec- 
tion that Ceylon and the coast of India at one time fur- 
nished all the products named in the Bible as being brought 
from Ophir. 

No sooner were we comfortably settled in our hotel 
home than we were besieged by vendors of pearls and pre- 
cious stones. The merchants are Moors and carry about 
their persons, wrapped in bits of cloth, gems of rarest qual- 
ity and of great value. We were shown in great profusion, 
and urged to buy the finest rubies, sapphires, emeralds and 
pearls at less than half the price asked for them by dealers 
at home. As we made no purchases, the dealers soon 
learned to pass us by for more profitable customers. One 
of our traveling companions secured a fine sapphire, at what 



* i Kings 10: 11-22. 













M 


. "~" 


"T i: 








M 




. , 


BsfifeSj m 1 




PRECIOUS STONES. 489 

he deemed a good bargain, but at what seemed to us an im- 
mense price for a small bit of carbon. 

The following named precious stones are to be found in 
Ceylon: Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, the topaz, amethysts, 
white sapphires, spiral rubies, chrysoberyl, tourmalines, 
moonstones, zircons, garnets, rock crystals and agates. It 
is an interesting fact that of the twelve gems which God 
commanded Moses to put into the breastplate, to be worn 
by the high-priest, nine are found on this island. It also 
produces seven of the precious stones with which the twelve 
foundations of the New Jerusalem, of John's vision on Pat- 
mos, were garnished and made beautiful. 

When it is remembered that neither Palestine nor any 
of the surrounding countries produced either the gems used 
in the high priest's breastplate or those spoken of by John, 
the reason for importing them from Ophir is apparent. We 
incline to the opinion that the island of Ceylon was included 
in the borders of the land of Ophir. 

We were much interested in examining the precious . 
stones offered for sale by the Moors, and especially those 
named in the Bible. A brief account of some of the Bible 
gems may not be without interest to our readers. 

Precious stones are valued according to their weight 
and purity, the carat being the unit of weight. It equals 
nearly three and a fifth grains troy weight. A gem of one 
hundred and fifty-one and a half carats would weigh one 
ounce, and if it were a ruby of the first water it would be 
worth a kingdom, as the following list of prices will show: 

Finest ruby one carat in weight, $750 

Finest sapphire same weight, 1 50 

Finest diamond same weight, 100 

Finest emerald same weight, 75 



490 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

These prices seem high, but they increase in a kind of 
geometrical progression as the gem increases in weight. 
A ruby of two carats would be worth four times as much as 
one of the same quality weighing one carat. 

The ruby is the most valuable of all the gems, and was 
used in the high priest's breastplate, and is also found in 
one of the foundations of the Holy City which John saw 
coming down from heaven. A perfect ruby of five carats 
weight would command a price ten times greater than a 
diamond of the same weight, while a perfect ruby of ten 
carats is of almost incalculable value. An expert in such 
matters says that a ruby weighing one carat, of the true 
pigeon blood in color, untainted by either brown or violet, 
would be worth in Ceylon, where jewels are comparatively 
cheap, as much as seven hundred and fifty dollars. 

The sapphire stands next to the ruby in value. It is of 
a sky-blue color and a perfect stone is of matchless brillian- 
cy. We saw one of these royal gems cut ready for mount- 
ing. It was of the softest azure in color and of wondrous 
luster. As the Moor held it up in his dark fingers, the 
light flashed and glittered on its facets as if it were a thing 
of life. The price asked for the stone was to be reckoned 
by tens of thousands. 

The sapphire is one of the stones used in garnishing 
the foundations of the City of God, the light of which "was 
like unto a stone most precious, even like unto a jasper 
stone, clear as crystal."* The other foundations of the city 
were made all grand and glittering with emeralds, ame- 
thysts, chrysolytes, rubies, jasper, beryls, and other stones 
most precious, of incalculable value and of wondrous splen- 
dor. One cannot conceive of the richness of the founda- 
tions of the Holy City, "the bride, the Lamb's wife," when 

* Rev. 21 : 10-27. 



PEARL FISHERIES. 49I 

the present value of the gems with which it was decorated 
is taken into account. The finite mind cannot grasp the 
problem. It is beyond human comprehension. And yet 
God has prepared a home like this for all those who love 
him and obey his Word. " Blessed are they that do his 
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, 
and may enter in through the gates into the city." 

We have already referred to Ceylon as the land of 
pearls and precious stones. Now it is our purpose to have 
something about pearls and where they are found. 

When we have a reference in the Bible to pearls they 
are always considered as having great value. The Savior 
tells his disciples not to cast pearls before swine, and also 
uses this jewel to illustrate the great worth of the kingdom 
of God.* Its use as an ornament for the body was so com- 
mon in ancient times that the Divine Mind was exercised to 
prohibit it for such purposes. Pearls were used also by the 
scarlet woman as one of her principal decorations. f 

On the coast of Ceylon, not very far from Colombo, are 
to be found the celebrated pearl fisheries of the island, and 
they are well worth a visit. However, it requires strong ol- 
factory nerves, for the stench about the place where the 
pearl oysters are opened is almost unendurable. 

As is, no doubt, known to most of our readers, the 
pearl is found in the oyster of that name. It was at one 
time thought that a grain of sand placed into the shell of 
the bivalve would result in a pearl being formed, but this 
view is not now held by those who have made a study of 
the subject. 

Upon examination the pearl is found to have a small 
opening in the center, which would not be the case were a 

* Matt. 7:6; 13:45. 

1 1 Tim. 2: q; Rev. 17: 4. 



492 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

grain of sand introduced. It is now generally believed that 
an insect attacks the shell, bores a hole through it, and de- 
posits a foreign substance of vegetable matter. This the 
mollusk at once proceeds to cover with layer after layer of 
a pearl-like substance which hardens after it has been de- 
posited. The vegetable matter is absorbed, and thus the 
small hollow in the center of the pearl is accounted for. 
The matter deposited is the same as that which forms 
"mother-of-pearl," from which the common pearl button is 
made. Year after year the layers are placed on the grow- 
ing pearl, until it is formed in all its beauty. 

A pearl of " great price " may be perfectly round like a 
shot, or pear-shaped. It is of the most delicate texture, 
free from speck, flaw or break. In color it is almost trans- 
lucent white; that is, you can see the rays of light through 
it, but cannot distinguish objects. It has a beautiful sheen, 
giving off the colors of the rainbow. A large-sized pearl, 
answering this description, would bring to its owner, were 
he disposed to sell it, a large sum of money. 

The oyster banks are under the control of the govern- 
ment, and the proper officers determine when the fishing 
shall take place. When the time arrives thousands of pearl 
divers, with merchants, traders and jewelers, crowd the 
shore of the bay. The divers go out to the oyster beds in 
small boats, large enough to carry ten men, and they usual- 
ly work in pairs. The banks are from eight to twenty miles 
from the shore, and the water covering them is from forty 
to fifty feet deep. It is thought that the oyster produces 
the best pearls at from four to seven years of age. 

The diver goes under the water without a diving bell or 
clothing of any kind. He has a basket attached to a belt, 
fastened around his waist, into which he throws the oysters 
as he gathers them from the bottom of the sea. He is 



PEARL DIVERS. 493 

armed with a short spear, with which he repels the attacks 
of the sharks and other large fish which infest the tropical 
waters. But, be he as careful as he may, many a poor, 
brown-skinned diver serves as a dainty morsel for the vora- 
cious denizens of the deep. 

In order to facilitate his descent, a stone weighing forty 
pounds is attached to his body by a strong cord, and there 
is also a strong rope fastened to him, so that he can be 
drawn up with his burden by his companion in the boat. 
He remains under usually from a minute to a minute and 
a half, and is then drawn up. He rests a short time on the 
side of the boat and then goes down again. He works on in 
this way until he is completely exhausted, and then his com- 
panion takes his place, and he remains in the boat. Some 
of the best divers remain under the water from four to six 
minutes. If any one would know what an exertion this re- 
quires, let him suspend breathing for half a minute and he 
will have a practical test. The work of the divers is very 
exhausting, and, as a rule, they are a short-lived race. 

Generally the fishing goes on from sunrise until noon, 
then a signal gun is fired and the boats are rowed ashore. 
The divers are very closely watched lest they secrete pearls 
in their mouths and so get more than their share. The 
oysters must all be landed at the government storehouse, 
where each man's catch is divided into three heaps, care be- 
ing taken to make the division equal. The government takes 
two of the piles and the diver gets one for his share. The 
oysters are now sold by auction to the dealers who are pres- 
ent in large numbers; the price secured is from twenty to 
thirty rupees per thousand. The rupee has about the same 
amount of silver contained in our half dollar and ought to 
be worth as much, but it has depreciated until it is now 



494 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

worth only about twenty-eight cents. The diver thus gets 
from six to eight dollars per thousand for his oysters. 

The trader into whose hands the oysters now fall takes 
all the risk of finding the pearls, and, as a rule, he reaps a 
rich harvest. The oysters are spread out in the hot, tropi- 
cal sun and are allowed to remain for six days, when they 
are easily opened. The pearl finder opens each one care- 
fully and picks out the pearls he can find. The rotten, 
putrid mass is then laid out in the sun to dry. The stench 
arising from the reeking filth is something terrible, and very 
few strangers can endure it. When it is thoroughly dried it 
is rubbed fine and then is passed through sieves of different 
sizes. At each sifting pearls are found, and after it has 
been thrown away by the traders the natives carefully search 
the whole mass for the smaller pearls that may have passed 
through the smallest sieve. 

The shells of the oysters are shipped to Europe where 
they are manufactured into pearl buttons and various orna- 
ments. The government has received as much as seven 
hundred thousand dollars for the privilege of fishing the 
oyster beds for a single season, but now it is managed as 
has already been described. In 1891 the income to the 
government from the pearl fisheries was nearly one million 
rupees. 

As early as the thirteenth century the Chinese intro- 
duced foreign substances into the pearl mussels which 
abound in the rivers of China, and thus facilitated the pro- 
duction of pearls. This led to a practice on the part of 
the priests which made stronger than ever the bonds that 
hold the ignorant masses of that great empire in supersti- 
tion and idolatry. Very small images of their god Buddha, 
seated in meditation, are cast in lead, or cut from tin. These 
are introduced into the mussel. Sometimes as many as 



PEARL OF GREATEST PRICE. 495 

twenty of them may be seen adhering closely to the shell, 
covered over with the pearl substance. They are beautiful 
and have all the appearance of natural objects. The igno- 
rant regard these as miraculously-formed images of Buddha, 
and prize them very highly as amulets and charms. So in 
all countries the ignorant are the dupes of designing men. 

In this brief sketch we have sought to give our readers 
some information concerning the production of pearls. It 
is a Bible subject, and while there are interesting facts con- 
nected with it, there remains in the heart of the writer the 
hope that all who read this may find the " pearl of greatest 
price," even the joy and comfort that comes from a full as- 
surance of our acceptance with God. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Off for Hong Kong — The Sea Captain s " Spicy Breezes " — The " Kai- 
ser-i-Hind" - — The Grouping of Passengers — Ship's Log from Co- 
lombo to Penang — Straits of Malacca — A Pleasant Voyage — Sin- 
gapore — Beauties of the Entrance to the Harbor — Houses Built 
Over the Water — The Sedan Chair — Botanical Gardens — 
Through the Streets of Singapore — The Shell Merchant — The 
Opium Dens — A Fearful Sight — Kava — On the China Sea — 
Sudden Stopping of the Ship's Engines — A Nerve-Trying Experi- 
ence — Hong Kong. 

The time had come when we must leave the beautiful 
" Isle of Spices " and continue our journey onward to the 
homeland. We lingered here, reluctant to leave the " Pearl 
of India;" but time and tide wait for no one. The same 
statement may be made in regard to the Peninsular and 
Oriental steamers. We had taken passage on the " Kaiser-i- 
Hind" for Hong Kong and far-away Cathay. This was to be 
no six days' voyage across the Atlantic on one of the great 
ocean greyhounds, now so common as to be but an every- 
day occurrence. With but a few breaks in the journey we 
had before us a voyage of some 13,000 miles before enter- 
ing the Golden Gate and setting our feet on the " land of 
the free and the home of the brave." 

Our steamer, of curious name, is a staunch, well-built 
boat of four thousand tons burden, and, wind and weather 
permitting, will carry us over the sea at the rate of two hun- 
dred and sixty miles a day. We cannot say much in favor 
of the " Kaiser " as to comfort. The company reserves the 
best boats for the Australian and Indian trade. On this far- 
away sea we must be content with second and even third- 
(496) 



SPICY BREEZES. 497 

class steamers. But we have the satisfaction of knowing 
that our ship was built for storms and not fair weather. She 
has outridden the typhoons of the China Sea, and we feel 
moderately safe when we step out on the deck. 

A gentle breeze was blowing across Ceylon's Isle as we 
steamed away from Colombo. But the strongest olfactory 
nerves failed to discern the spicy odors made famous by 
Bishop Heber's missionary hymn. It is said that once upon 
a time a sea captain, when his ship was nearing Ceylon, and 
while his passengers were below eating their dinner, rubbed 
a quantity of the oil of cloves and cinnamon on the rail of 
the upper deck. As the passengers came up one by one, 
they were not only delighted with a view of the famous is- 
land, but with the " spicy breezes " borne to them on the 
wings of the wind. The captain assured them that they 
were having an evidence of the truth of the statement made 
by Heber. 

We had on board the " Kaiser-i-Hind " a full comple- 
ment of passengers. It was a mixed multitude and essen- 
tially cosmopolitan in its make-up. The four quarters of 
the globe were represented on board this one small ship. 
Not only did we have people from the world's various na- 
tionalities, but from the different social walks in life as 
well. Here were Americans, Europeans, Asiatics, Africans, 
Australians, and the inhabitants of the islands of the sea. 
Among the passengers were an English earl, high in govern- 
ment circles, a Scottish nobleman with the same rank, two 
German counts, a Frenchman with some kind of a title, sev- 
eral members of the English Parliament who wrote the 
word " Lord " before their names, Church of England and 
Scotch Presbyterian ministers, missionaries on their way to 
China, representatives of the great commercial houses of 
the world, Chinese and Japanese government officials, and 



498 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

the usual number of the genus " Globe Trotters," a term now 
generally applied to a class of persons with more money 
than brains, who wander aimlessly around the world, with 
the high ambition of being able to say, "We have been 
around! " 

There is a common saying that "birds of a feather flock 
together," and the truth of this old proverb is fully exempli- 
fied on shipboard. On a long sea voyage the passengers 
soon group themselves according to their likes and dislikes, 
and these groups are quite separate and distinct. Before 
the first day has passed two general classes have been 
formed, — those who play cards and gamble, and those who 
do not. The first class usually occupy the smoking room, 
for, as a rule, the card player and the gambler use tobacco. 
To these two accomplishments must be added a third, that 
of taking strong drink. These three things appear to be in- 
separably connected, — gambling, strong drink and the use 
of tobacco. Those who do not gamble, smoke and drink, 
are grouped about the deck on steamer chairs and spend 
the time in reading, writing and talking. Those who are re- 
ligiously inclined are found spending a part of the day in 
Bible readings and in divine worship. 

The weather was delightfully pleasant, and with a calm, 
smooth sea the days passed by rapidly. In the tropics, at 
this season of the year, there is a constant breeze stirring, 
and this moderates the heat so that it is not oppressively 
hot. The ship's log — a daily record of the distance made 
and of our longitude and latitude at noon — is hung up in 
the companionway, so that all may know what progress is 
being made. The ship's log from Colombo to Penang is 
here given. It may not be without interest to at least some 
of our readers: 



SINGAPORE. 499 

Longitude. Latitude. Distance. 

Feb. 26, 1896 82, 50, 00 5, 14, 15 238 miles. 

Feb. 27, 1896, 87, 19, 00 5, 53, 00 267 miles. 

Feb. 28, 1896, 92, 00, 00 5, 50, 00 280 miles. 

Feb. 29, 1896, 96, 34, 00 5, 56, 00 275 miles. 

March 1, 1896, 100, 18, 30 5, 17, 15 . .231 miles. 

The run of March 1 brought us to Penang at 7:30 A. 
M., and the passengers had an opportunity of spending a 
few hours on shore. The island lies some nine miles off the 
west coast of the Malay Peninsula. It contains, all told, 
sixty-nine thousand acres of land, with a population not far 
from a hundred thousand souls. The city is uninteresting, 
and its few sights hardly pay for the necessary walk 
through the hot sun. About one-half the population is 
Chinese. These yellow-skinned, coarse-featured, almond- 
eyed celestials present to us a striking contrast with the 
bronzed color and fine features of the natives of India, with 
whom we had been surrounded for several months; and the 
advantage was, according to our judgment, altogether on 
the side of the dwellers in India. In these tropical climates 
clothing of scantiest proportions is worn, and the color of 
the body is at once strikingly noticeable. 

From Penang a two days' run on the smooth waters of 
the Malacca Straits brought us to the city of Singapore, 
within a few miles of the equator. The weather was pleas- 
ant and not too warm. We had anticipated very hot weath- 
er as we approached the great circle, but were happily 
disappointed. The mercury ranged from 80 to 94 degrees. 
There seems to be but little difference in the temperature at 
Madras, Colombo and Singapore. Here the ship took coal 
for her long voyage across the China Sea to Hong Kong. 
As the coaling process required a full day, we had ample 
time to see everything of interest in the capital of the 
Straits Settlement. 



500 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

Owing to the dangers of navigation, our ship cast an- 
chor outside the harbor in the night and waited the coming 
of daylight. When the morning sun, rising clear and bright 
over Sumatra, turned sky and mountain top to red and am- 
ber we slowly steamed up to the wharf. No other harbor 
at which we landed or embarked in Asia is so picturesquely 
beautiful as that of Singapore. The devious waterway of 
exquisite beauty leads among hills and mountains all cov- 
ered with the riches of tropical vegetation. If Ceylon is 
the land of spices, much more is this, around about these 
palm-covered hills, red and scarlet with thickets of the flow- 
ering hibiscus. Here the clove, the nutmeg and the cinna- 
mon flourish, and the luscious mango and mangosteen grow 
to perfection. The bright equatorial sun, tempered by a 
generous rainfall and by a constant sea breeze, clothes hills 
and valleys with a verdure that never fails. It is the land 
of unending summer, where the beautiful flowers, the bright, 
happy children of the Southland, bloom year in and year 
out without ceasing. Amid these beauties of bounteous na- 
ture we threaded our way until we entered the land-locked 
bay and moored at the wharf of Singapore. 

Singapore is located on an island of the same name, ly- 
ing at the southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula. The 
island is twenty-seven miles long and fourteen broad. The 
population may be set down, in round numbers, at one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand; about two-thirds of these are Chi- 
nese. John, with his long pigtail and patient, enduring face, 
has forced himself into all lines of trade, and monopolizes 
the business of the island. You will find him everywhere. 
At the bank he calculated our exchange on the woodenbut- 
tons of his peculiar counting-board, and paid us in the sil- 
ver dollars of the Straits. In all the stores and shops he 
greets you in terms polite and asks as to your wants. He 



SEDAN CHAIR. 5O3 

has learned sufficient English for the purposes of trade, and 
if you will note the fact that he drops the " r " and replaces 
it with an " 1," you will soon be able to converse with him. 
He is, so far as trading qualities are concerned, the Jew of 
the Orient. 

A drive of half an hour in a gharrie (the oriental name 
for a carriage) behind a swift pair of Pegu ponies, over a fine 
driveway made of the red soil of the island, brought us to 
the Botanical Gardens, noted for the richness of their floral 
wealth. On the way we passed many curious houses built, 
not on the ground, but over the water. Here lived the fish- 
ermen, to the manner born, who approach their houses in 
their little fishing boats, and reach the doors by means of 
steps and ladders. Piles are driven into the mud at the bot- 
tom of the bay, and on these, above the reach of high tide, 
the dwellings are constructed. These are, for the most part, 
built of palm leaves, the roofing being of the same material. 
They present but a temporary appearance on their stilt-like 
foundations. An ordinary western breeze, so common on 
our home prairies, would soon distribute the palm-leaf 
houses over the sea. But in this favored spot the storms 
never come, and the Malay fisherman dwells in safety in his 
palm-covered hut. 

In Singapore the gharrie and jinrikishi are supplemented 
by the sedan chair as a means of travel. The chairs are of 
simple construction, as our picture will show. Two long, 
springy bamboo poles with a cushioned box, containing a 
comfortable seat for one person, securely fastened in the 
middle of the poles, comprise the Asiatic carrying chair. It 
has been in use in China for many centuries. Two strong 
Chinese coolies — one in front, the other in the rear — place 
the ends of the poles on their shoulders and carry you about 
the town and country at the uniform fare of five cents a\ 



504 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

hour. It is hard work, and I observed that the chair carri- 
ers had great calloused lumps on the shoulders produced by 
their heavy burden bearing. It was hard enough for us to 
get used to having a man pull us around in the jinrikisha, 
and here we drew the line. It was too much to be carried 
on the shoulders of men. We took a gliarrie and saw all of 
Singapore in the time allotted for that purpose. 

Our first visit was to the Botanical Gardens where one 
never tires of wandering beneath the shade of the spreading 
palms and a hundred other rare and beautiful trees. There 
are flowers and fruits in great profusion, strange in appear- 
ance and stranger in name. Some kinds of the fruit are lus- 
cious and palatable, while others are of such peculiar smell 
and taste that it requires a long and patient training to 
learn to eat them with any degree of relish. Here are the 
names of some of the fruits common at Singapore: custard, 
apples, pineapples, sour-sop, limes, oranges, mangoes, plan- 
tains, mangosteens, durians, dukus, tampangs and half a 
score more, strange of name and indescribable as to taste. 

Conspicuous among the trees is the " travelers' palm," 
growing gracefully in the shape of an immense, wide-spread 
fan. It grows out from a center filled with sweet water, 
forming a huge representation of our common palm-leaf 
fan, a score of feet in diameter, with the trunk of the tree 
for a handle. One can imagine that if it was ever used as a 
fan there must have been giants in the land in those days. 

A drive through the busy streets of the city reveals the 
usual type of an eastern town. The European quarter, the 
hotels, the banks, the bungalows of the wealthy natives, and 
the huts of the poor are to be seen as an evidence that 
wealth has its power in all parts of the world. But far more 
interesting to us than the gardens and the busy streets of 
the city is a study of the people themselves. At the wharf, 



BEAUTIFUL SHELLS. 505 

where our ship is moored, one may study types and charac- 
ter by the hour. Here are all styles of dress, all manners of 
costumes, and no costume at all; for these residents of the 
tropics have a total disregard of what are to us the common 
proprieties of life. But the scantiness of their attire seems 
not inappropriate when the climatic conditions are taken in- 
to consideration. 

On the wharf we are beset by merchants of every class, 
all intent upon disposing of their numerous wares. We are 
importuned to buy parrots of brilliant plumage, and are as- 
sured by the salesman that they can talk English, "Allee 
samee Inglisman." Then there is the monkey-trader. 
He offers for sale the specimens of the Malay monkey with 
long silken arms and soft, melancholy eyes, blinking at you 
as if inviting you to buy. Great, luscious pineapples, that 
would not cost less than twenty-five cents in Chicago or 
New York, may be purchased for a penny or two, for this is 
the home of this fine fruit. We notice our provident stew- 
ard is placing a large number in his locker, and we shall 
have plenty of the fruit on our voyage to China. 

But the most beautiful of all the wares offered to tempt 
our pocketbooks were the shells, — the rare and beautiful 
children of the sea. Boatload after boatload was rowed up 
to the wharf by the Malay shellfishers, who did a thriving 
business. Here were the finest specimens of the nautilus, 
nature's sailor of the sea, the most interesting denizen of 
the deep — pearly white, and fully twice as large as the 
largest seen in the shell stores at home. Then there were 
great flat shells of mother-of-pearl, with spirals and cowries 
of every shape and hue, and of the most brilliant colors 
imaginable. These were so tastefully arranged with great 
masses of red, pink and white coral that one hardly knew 
which most to admire, the shells and corals, or the skill of 



506 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

the yellow-skinned merchant in arranging them to show to 
the best advantage. We enriched our little collection with 
a few rare shells. As we look at them we are satisfied that 
the hand of the most skillful painter in the world never pro- 
duced such deep, rich hues, or such fine shadings and 
blendings of color as are seen on these beautiful shells; and 
no marvel, for these were painted by the artist hand of God. 
One can only look, admire and wonder. That God made 
so beautiful and colored so richly the shells that serve their 
purpose and are then cast on the shore of the restless sea, 
only teaches that the love of the beautiful, which he has 
given to man, may be legitimately gratified. 

But all is not beautiful at Singapore. There are sad, 
repulsive sights to be seen that sicken the heart and make 
the soul sorrowful. As we study the people who come and 
go, we see scores of wild, haggard-eyed, emaciated, woe-be- 
gone faces that tell of the opium habit, as surely as the red 
nose, the watery eyes and the bloated face tell of the drunk- 
ard at home. These poor heathen, bearing the image of 
God on their faces, have been ruined, — mind, soul and 
body, — by English thirst for gold; for be it known that the 
foul opium dens are licensed by a Christian (?) nation, and 
that an immense revenue falls into the coffers of the state 
each year from the opium trade. 

Let us look into one of these opium dens! The sicken- 
ing stench arising from the opium pipe is even worse than 
the fumes of a long-used tobacco pipe, and one must have 
courage to set his foot inside the door. The room is small 
and is crowded with depraved, half-naked barbarian smok- 
ers. The stench of the smoke is supplemented by that aris- 
ing from the bodies of the unclean "opium fiends." In the 
center of the swarthy circle, assembled in the filthy den, is 
a small, dirty oil-lamp, burning with a dim, uncertain flame. 



OPIUM DENS. 507 

One of the smokers has a pipe with a small bowl, and a 
stem so thick that he must open his mouth wide to take it 
in. On the end of a long iron needle he takes up a bit of 
sticky opium about the size of a pea and heats it over the 
flame of the lamp. After it is heated he drops it into the 
small opening in the pipe. He then lies down at full 
length, places the bowl of the pipe over the flame, draws in 
the smoke, swallows it, and emits it through his nostrils. 
In a few moments the muscles relax, the head drops over 
and the smoker is unconscious of all the world. The pipe 
is then taken up by another waiting his turn, and so the 
smoking goes on until the entire crowd are in an uncon- 
scious stupor. 

I give a word of warning to our boys and young men 
who are given to the habit of cigarette smoking. It is now 
stated, on the best of authority, that the manufacturers of 
cigarettes are putting a small quantity of opium in the to- 
bacco they use. It would seem that men who would do 
this thing must be lost to all that is good; but the thirst for 
gold is at the bottom of it all. In this way they hope to 
fasten the habit of smoking on their victims and thus in- 
crease the sale of their wares. When the taste for opium 
is once acquired it becomes a destroying demon, neyer to 
be satisfied; and, because it destroys the will and moral 
powers, it is almost impossible to throw it off. Many of 
our state legislatures prohibit the sale of cigarettes, but the 
consumption of them is on the increase. From smoking 
the cigarette saturated with the drug it is but a small step 
to the opium habit itself. As you prize the God-given in- 
tellectual and moral powers in your possession, be warned 
in time. 

In addition to the opium eating and smoking, so com- 
mon among the Orientals, there is a considerable consump- 



508 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

tion of intoxicating drinks. Drunkenness is not, however, 
so common as in the Western world. Toddy, the product 
of the cocoanut palm, is the most common beverage used in 
India, Ceylon, and the Straits Settlements. A liquor is also 
distilled from rice and is used in large quantities in the 
East. It is known as "sa-ke," and is quite intoxicating. 
It is largely used in China and Japan and in the islands 
south of those countries. 

One of the drinks common to the South Pacific is 
'ka-va," a product of the Samoan group of islands. The 
manufacture of this peculiar drink is thus described by one 
who witnessed the process: "Ka-va is prepared from the 
root of a species of the pepper tree, found on most of the 
islands of the Samoan group. The shrub attains a height of 
five or six feet and has a pretty green foliage, tinged with 
purple. The root, having been thoroughly washed, is cut in 
small slices, which are distributed to young girls with per- 
fect teeth, to be chewed, by which process they are reduced 
to a complete pulp. Mouthful after mouthful of these little 
pulpy masses is thrown into a large bowl, ceremoniously 
placed in front of the one who is to serve the beverage, and 
water is then poured upon them. The mass is now worked 
with the hand until all the strength, and virtue of the fibre is 
expressed, when it is deftly strained away with a bunch of 
long fibre from the inner bark of the hibiscus, and the liquid 
is now ready for drinking. Its appearance is like that of 
weak tea, its taste like that of soap suds." In the case of 
the ka-va, it may be said that the drink is chewed. The 
process of manufacture, if witnessed, would doubtless keep 
most of our home people from trying the beverage. 

If our readers will take a map of the Eastern Hemis- 
phere, and locate Singapore, almost on the equator, and 
then draw a line a little east of north, nearly the entire 



MALAY BOYS DIVING. 509 

length of the China Sea, with a slight curve around the 
coast of Siam, to Hong Kong, they will have the route tak- 
en by the " Kaiser-i-Hind " from Malay to China. The dis- 
tance, as the ship runs, is barely fifteen hundred miles, and 
yet six days are required to make the voyage. Navigation 
on the China Sea is attended with no little danger, owing to 
the typhoons that sweep over its waters. As our voyage 
was made at a season when these cyclonic storms do not 
prevail to any great extent, we had but little fear of encoun- 
tering this great danger. 

The " Kaiser-i-Hind " moved slowly away from the 
wharf, and we were off on our way to the land of Cathay. 
The ship was surrounded by Malay boys in their little 
boats, clamoring to have the passengers throw money over- 
board, so that they might dive for it. One knew not which 
to admire most, the diving or the skill with which the boys 
sprang into their boats after coming up from the depths. 
A score or more would spring out of the boats and disap- 
pear, diving after the coveted money. After a struggle be- 
neath the water they would reappear, the successful diver 
holding the coin aloft between his fingers for a moment and 
then putting it into his mouth in order to be ready for 
another dive. Swimming to their boats they sprang into 
them, and, with a quick movement of the foot, kicked the 
water out while paddling. Sometimes the boats would fill 
with water and sink. The occupants, two in number, would 
roll out, seize the little craft at each end, turn it over, emp- 
ty out the -water, right the boat again, spring into it and 
paddle after the slowly-moving ship, shouting for a dive. 
The Malay boys are perfectly at home in the water. 

We soon left boats and divers far behind, as we moved 
out to sea. In the harbor there was only the slightest 
breeze stirring, but Captain Daniels said: " We shall have a 



510 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

blow when we get out to sea; it is only local, however, and 
we shall outrun it during the night." His prediction proved 
to be true. A strong wind was blowing outside the harbor, 
which increased in force during the evening. The sea ran 
high and the ship pitched and rolled, much to the discom- 
fort of the passengers. Seasickness added its misery to 
the ship's unhappy company. We turned in early and slept 
soundly through the night. When the morning came we 
were sailing over a sunlit sea, as smooth as glass. So the 
sorrows of the night were turned into joy in the morning. 

And now began a long voyage on the China Sea. The 
passage was not a pleasant one. Sunshine and smooth seas 
were succeeded by clouds and storms, accompanied by 
heavy rainfalls. The northeast monsoon made its force felt 
to the discomfort of all the ship's company, and no one of 
the passengers expressed the least regret when we steamed 
into the harbor of Hong Kong, and landed amidst a throng 
of almond-eyed, yellow celestials. 

On a long sea voyage the continuous throbbing of the 
engines and the revolutions of the propeller, after a time, 
become almost a part of one's life. When you lie down at 
night, the throbbing comes to you with the regularity of the 
beating of your pulse, and, unconsciously, you will discover 
that it is keeping time with the pulsations of your heart. 
You breathe in unison with the throbs, and as the days go 
by they become a part of your life. It is the great heart of 
the ship, beating with the regularity of clockwork, which 
gives motion to the vessel and drives it through the water 
at such a rapid rate. To have the throbbing suddenly 
cease, when out at sea, brings great alarm to the passen- 
gers and much confusion to the ship's company. 

An experience of this kind fell to our lot on the China 
Sea, and we shall not soon forget it. We were sitting to- 




NJ 



=.•*• 




AN ACCIDENT AT SEA. 513 

gether on deck at nine o'clock in the evening. The night 
was dark, a heavy wind was blowing and the rain was com- 
ing down in torrents, and in these latitudes it literally pours 
down. The sea was rough, but as the monsoon was blowing 
from the direction we were going, we suffered only from the 
pitching of the ship. The deck was brilliantly lighted with 
electricity, and in our protected corner we rather enjoyed 
the warring of the elements. Suddenly, and without a mo- 
ment's warning, the engines stopped, the heart of the ship 
ceased its throbbings and we were in Egyptian darkness. 
The moment the engines stopped, the current of electricity 
was cut off, and we were left without light. The vessel, no 
longer propelled through the water, could not be steered, so 
fell into the trough of the sea and was at the mercy of the 
waves. She rolled heavily, and at times it seemed as if the 
ship would roll over on her side. We clung to an iron rail- 
ing and waited anxiously for developments. The passen- 
gers were much alarmed; some put on life-preservers and 
others began calling on the Lord for help. A few moments 
before all were in good spirits, and now all was gloom and 
darkness, with dread and fear. Presently the old-time oil 
lamps and lanterns were lighted, and never was light more 
welcome. An officer came on deck and assured the people 
that nothing of a serious character had happened, that the 
repairs would be made in a few hours and we would be un- 
der way again. A steam supply pipe had bursted and 
caused the trouble. This information partly quieted the 
fears of the nervous ones. When, a few hours later, the 
engines were again started, and the throbbing of the pro- 
peller was again heard, great relief was felt by all, and from 
many hearts grateful thanks went up to God who had pre- 
served us in the face of a great danger. 

The storm was succeeded by clear weather and a 



514 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

smooth sea, and this in turn by strong winds and rough wa- 
ters. The best of discipline is maintained on board ship. 
The officers and men are courteous to the passengers and 
prompt in attention to their duties. The monotony of the 
voyage was broken by an occasional lifeboat drill. At a 
signal from the commanding officers the men hurried on 
deck and took their places. There was no fire, there was 
no need of the lifeboats; but if the ship had been in the most 
imminent danger from fire or storm no greater promptness 
could have been shown in getting fire hose and lifeboats 
ready for the emergency. Every officer and man was at his 
post ready for action. It was the perfection of discipline 
and gave the passengers confidence in the ability of officers 
and crew to meet the danger promptly and intelligently if 
it came. The drill, I reflected, was an excellent exercise. 
It prepared the men for any emergency that might come, 
and it is always well to be prepared for a danger that may 
come. 

A dull, leaden sky, with a horizon heavy with storm 
clouds, greeted us when we went on deck on the morning of 
March 9. The coast of China was in full view, and in a 
short time we were steaming into the magnificent harbor of 
Hong Kong, the best and most commanding on the Chi- 
nese coast. England has planted her standard here, and as 
a result prosperity has smiled on the little fishing village of 
1 84 1. Then Hong Kong had but a few thousand souls and 
was a poverty-stricken place; now it has a population of 
about two hundred thousand and is rich in commerce and 
merchandise. The place is strongly fortified and com- 
mands the approach to Canton and the commerce of the 
Chinese coast. The city is built on a gently-rising slope 
which recedes from the water, and then rising abruptly 
forms Victoria heights. We were glad to leave the " Kai- 



WINDSOR HOTEL. 515 

ser-i-Hind" which had been our home for thirteen days, 
and seek a home on shore. We found a pleasant resting 
place at the Windsor Hotel where we spent a week very 
pleasantly. 



CHAPTER XX. 



Short Stay in China — The Black Plague — "Pidgin English" — The 
Sedan Chair — Crowded Cities — Signboards — Houseboats — The 
Noonday Meal — A Strange Fashion — Small Feet. 

Our stay in China was of short duration. Both at 
Hong Kong and Canton the black plague prevailed and 
many deaths were reported daily; so our first concern was 
to secure a passage at the earliest possible date for Japan. 
We considered ourselves fortunate in securing berths on the 
English steamer " Ancona," sailing a week later for Yoko- 
hama, by way of Kobe and the inland sea of Japan. These 
arrangements being made, the time was spent in seeing 
something of Chinese life. Our observations were limited.- 
China and the Chinese are a life-long study, and the week 
spent on the coast gave us but little opportunity to see the 
people in their homes. 

The plague which was raging is one of the most fatal 
diseases known. Instances are given where, in certain 
places, every person attacked died. It is usually fatal in 
from a few hours to three days after the attack. The first 
symptoms are similar to those of the ague. There are se- 
vere pains in the limbs, followed by extreme nervous pros- 
tration, with excruciating pains in the head. The patient 
becomes distracted and tosses about in deep fear. In many 
cases death intervenes during the first twenty-four hours of 
the attack. Cases are recorded where the victim succumbed 
to the disease in less than three hours. The glands of the 

neck are usually much swollen, and dark spots appear on 

(516) 



THE BLACK DEATH. 5 ! 7 

the skin. This last symptom gave the disease the name of 
the black death. 

In the fourteenth century the plague invaded Europe, 
and, according to statistics resulting from an inquiry made 
by Pope Clement VI., the total number of victims of the 
dread disease is given at 42,800,000. Other authorities give 
the total deaths as 25,000,000. These figures are startling 
and will serve to show the deadly nature of the disease. 
The cities of London and Venice each lost one hundred 
thousand of their people. The deaths in Germany were 
given at a million and a half, and Italy lost fully one-half of 
her population. 

In 1656 the most destructive of all recorded epidemics 
in Europe raged in Naples, when, it is said, 300,000 people 
perished in about five months. In 1665 occurred the last 
Great Plague in London. In a few months 68,596 people 
perished out of a population of 460,000, two-thirds of whom 
are supposed to have fled in order to escape the ravages of 
the disease. The last outbreak of the plague in Europe oc- 
curred in 1878-79, on the banks of the river Volga. It 
caused a panic throughout Europe, but was confined to the 
villages surrounding the place where it first appeared. 

In the old time God sent plagues upon the nations be- 
cause of their sins. If ever there was a time when sin 
needs rebuke, it would seem that we are living in that 
time to-day, — so-called Christian Europe allowing the Mo- 
hammedans to massacre the Armenian Christians and pro- 
tecting the Moslem from the righteous indignation of the 
Greeks. A day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a 
thousand years as a day. But the sins of nations will not 
go unpunished. Because of sin the plague fell upon the 
Israelites in the days of David. Because of sin it may fall 



5 18 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

upon the nations of Europe at the close of the nineteenth 
century. 

The Windsor proved to be a comfortable hotel. The 
Chinese servants were kind and obliging, the food was well 
prepared after the American method of cooking, and had it 
not been for the fact that the plague was prevailing we 
might have spent a month in China very comfortably. The 
Chinese waiters speak what is known as " Pidgin English," 
a mixture of sounds, at first quite difficult to understand. 
The elevator boy soon learned that our room was on the up- 
per floor, and his way of stating the fact was, " Melican man 
loom topside." The " r " is too much for the vocal organs 
of John, and he invariably substitutes " 1." To him the top 
or upper is always " topside." He seems to think that out- 
side and inside should be supplemented with topside and 
bottomside. One of the statements made to us was, " I 
ling glong seven clock you leady eat." 

At Hong Kong and Canton, as at Singapore, the com- 
mon means of rapid transit is the sedan chair. It is some- 
what different in appearance from those seen along the 
Straits of Malacca, as may be seen by a comparison of our 
fine photogravures, on pages 501 and 519. A very comfort- 
able chair is fastened to and suspended between two 
bamboo poles, wide enough apart to rest on each shoulder 
of the carriers. You take your seat in the chair, and two 
strong men kneel down between the poles, one at each end. 
Placing one pole on each shoulder, they rise to their feet 
and start off at a half trot. In the narrow, dirty, crowded 
streets of Canton and the Chinese quarter in Hong Kong, 
where walking is at times unsafe and entirely out of the 
question, the sedan chair is the only means by which the 
traveler can be taken from place to place with safety. The 
chairs here are made with a view to comfort, and are finely 



DENSITY OF POPULATION. $21 

finished, showing considerable skill in workmanship. A 
cover, made of waterproof material, is attached to protect 
the passenger from the rays of the sun and from the rain, 
so common at this season of the year on this part of the 
Chinese coast. When one overcomes the natural aversion 
— only a prejudice after all — to being carried about on men's 
shoulders, the sedan chair is found to be a comfortable and 
easy means of transit. It is much slower, however, than 
the jinrikishas. But the chair will take you where the 
two-wheeled " pull-man-car " cannot go. But think of a 
large city where the most rapid means of transit is the se- 
dan chair! At home the horse car has long been too slow 
for our people. Electricity has come to solve the problem 
of rapid transit in our cities. In the Orient the donkey, the 
camel, the jinrikisha and the sedan chair are fast enough 
for these easy, slow-going people. Verily the Oriental 
clings to the ways of his father. 

But little attention is paid to sanitary conditions in the 
cities of China. Sewerage is neglected, the streets are nar- 
row and the houses are crowded with human beings. It is a 
matter of amazement to the traveler to know how many 
people can be stowed away in an ordinary Chinese house. 
Canton has a population of a million, and you wonder where 
the people live. No marvel that the plague carries off so 
many of them; the wonder is that the death rate is not 
much higher than it is. The narrow streets are paved with 
cut stone, and during the heat of the day are shaded with 
awnings. The)- are lumbered with articles for sale, and dur- 
ing the busy part of the day are overcrowded with natives. 
Our picture on page 523 shows a narrow business street 
after the business of the day has closed, and only the mer- 
chants are left to look after and care for their wares. The 
Chinese merchant sets forth his virtues on his signboard. 



522 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

You ma)' read, if you can master the hieroglyphics, such 
signs as these, " Unselfish Generosity," " Benevolence and 
Justice," " Peace and Righteousness," " Friendship and 
Fidelity." These high-sounding phrases are supposed to 
set forth the excellent character of the trader; but it is said 
he falls far below the standard he sets for himself. The 
name of the merchant seldom appears on the signboard, but 
his keenness and sagacity are made known in phrases like 
this: " No credit given here; we have grown wise by expe- 
rience." He also informs his patrons that " No cheating 
is done here." The inscriptions like the last are not always 
appropriate. Here is one copied from a sign above the 
door of an opium den: " May health and happiness rest on 
all who enter here." The sentiment expressed is as much 
out of place over the door of an opium den as it would be 
over that of a rum shop in Chicago or New York. 

Morally, the Chinese standard, like that of all heathen 
nations, is very low. Paul's description, in Romans I, of the 
depravity of the Imperial City may be applied to the great 
mass of the people in China. Those who have made a care- 
ful study of the Chinese, and their moral and social life, say 
that while there are among them some excellent traits of 
character, yet side by side with these " are found habits 
which are gross and sensual, and practices which reveal a 
sorry lack of cultured moral sense." 

Like the Hindu, the average Chinaman has no idea of 
the beauty of truthfulness or the moral depravity of lying. 
He seems to be without conscience on the subject. It is 
said, that " to lie is with them a sort of Spartan virtue 
Parents feel pleased at the dexterity with which a child of 
theirs can lie. They regard it as a touch of genius — a hope- 
ful sign that their son will make his way in the world." 

In trading, this infirmity is made manifest. The mer- 




Street in Hong Kong. 



PILFERING CHINAMEN. 525 

chant on whose sign you read " Benevolence and Justice," 
will tell you with all the earnestness of apparent truthful- 
ness that the article which he is offering you for four dol- 
lars, and which would be dear at half the price, cost him 
three dollars and ninety cents, and that he is charging you 
ten cents profit for keeping it and for the trouble of selling 
it to you. If you offer him two dollars for it he will declare 
he is losing money and being ruined, but in the end you get 
the article, only to find out later that you have paid two 
prices for it. 

In "Everyday Life in China" we find this reference to the 
deceptive propensities of the people: "The ingenuity of the 
Chinaman comes out strongly in his pilfering habits. As 
we said of their lying, where affection or self-interest con- 
strain them, they are all that could be wished. The same is 
true of honesty. Valuables maybe safely intrusted with a 
man who has sufficient reason to be honest; but all is fair 
gain that can be safely gotten, is the loose principle of 
' childlike and bland' John Chinaman. Robbery becomes a 
high art with certain classes, especially as the New Year ap- 
proaches. Several years ago, while the supreme court of 
Hong Kong was in session, a man entered the court room 
with a ladder, which he proceeded to place upon a bench 
near the judge. The judge and counsel were annoyed at 
the ill-timed procedure and asked what he wanted. He 
said he had been sent to fetch the clock to be cleaned. In 
a rash moment the judge said that, seeing he was already 
upon the ladder, he might as well take the clock there and 
then, instead of coming back for it at a more convenient 
season, and so he did; but the clock was never heard of 
more! We have known a housetop stripped of its lead by 
persons who said they had been sent to repair it. One al- 
most feels as though they had earned it by their daring! " 



526 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

A very peculiar phase of Chinese life is to be found 
among the dwellers on the water. House-boats are com- 
mon on all the rivers and harbors of China. Tens of thou- 
sands are born, live, and die on and in the house-boats. 
They go ashore only to sell fish and buy such things as are 
necessary to supply their very limited wants. They are at 
home on the water. The day we steamed away from Hong 
Kong several house-boats cast anchor alongside the "An- 
cona," and from the deck we had an opportunity to study 
some phases of this peculiar life. We watched with inter- 
est the movements of a large family on one of the boats. 
The mother, with a year-old babe strapped to her back, was 
busily engaged in preparing the noonday meal for her nu- 
merous progeny. A large pot, set over the fire which was 
burning on a kind of hearth placed on the deck, was boiling, 
and as the woman lifted the lid and stirred the contents the 
odor of cooking rice came to us on the ship. Half a dozen 
children were playing about the deck and were having a 
good time generally. Around the neck of the smaller chil- 
dren is tied a heavy cord, to which is attached a piece of 
bamboo. If, in their romping about the deck, one of them 
falls overboard, which often happens, the mother fishes the 
little one out of the water with a boat-hook, the cord about 
the neck, with the bamboo attached, being very convenient 
for that purpose. 

When the woman gave the signal for dinner, the father 
and more children came from below deck. They squatted 
down, forming a circle around the dinner pot, ten in num- 
ber. The mother gave each of them a china bowl filled 
with the steaming hot rice. Spoons, knives or forks were 
not used, chop-sticks taking the place of these useful arti- 
cles. It is surprising how skillfully these two straight, thin 
sticks, about seven inches in length, can be used in convey- 




A Chinese Woman. 



SMALL FEET. 529 

ing food from dish or bowl to the mouth. The dinner end- 
ed, the chop-sticks were cleaned by drawing them through 
the hand, the bowls were washed in a little water dipped 
from the sea, and the woman's work was done for the time. 

One of the most distressing customs or fashions to be 
observed in China is that of arresting the growth of the feet 
in childhood, so that when the girl baby has grown to 
womanhood she may shine in the highest ranks of fashion 
and aristocracy, because of the smallness of her feet. In 
early childhood, when the bones and cartilage are soft, the 
feet are bandaged and compressed in such a way that 
growth is impossible. For several years the process is said 
to be extremely painful, and the little victim to the de- 
mands of custom and fashion can only cry and moan in 
agony until the feet become wasted and bloodless, and in- 
sensible to pain. A photograph of a Chinese lady's feet 
shows that all the toes, except the great one, are turned 
under and are to be seen only on the sole of the foot. At 
Hong Kong we purchased several pairs of shoes, such as are 
worn by the ladies of that country. The inner measure is 
exactly three inches in length, and at the heel, the widest 
part of the shoe, an inch and a quarter in width. The shoe 
tapers to a point like the most fashionable tooth-pick shoes, 
now so generally worn in our own country. 

The Chinese women, whose feet are deformed as before 
described, find it a very difficult matter to walk, and many 
of them must be carried from place to place by servants. 
Their "golden lilies," as they call their feet, are so de- 
formed and weak that they cannot bear the weight imposed 
upon them. We saw several of them trying to walk, and 
their steps were as short and as unsteady as those of a child 
taking its first lessons in walking. It will be understood 
that this fashion prevails only among the rich Mandarins — a 



530 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

wealthy, office-holding caste — and that the common people 
appear to have too much good sense to follow this hurtful 
and ridiculous fashion set up by the upper class. 

In our own civilized and Christianized country we won- 
der how people can be so silly as to follow such sense- 
less and injurious fashions as prevail in heathen lands. 
There is no accounting for taste in fashion. The Chinese, 
compress their feet and Christians compress their waists by 
tight lacing. Of the two evils eminent physicians do not 
hesitate to say that the latter is by far the more injurious 
to the health of the devotee of fashion. The feet are de- 
formed by the Chinese, but the more important organs of 
the body are not interfered with. The Christian, by tight 
lacing, compresses, deforms, and displaces the vital organs, 
and ill health, suffering, and a broken constitution result. 
These evils fall not only on those who indulge in the hurtful 
fashions, but upon unborn generations. A comparison of 
the follies, excesses, and injuries entailed by following the 
goddess of fashion, is fully as favorable to the heathen as to 
the Christian. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



From China to Japan — A Staunch Steamer and a Rough Sea — Trust- 
ing in God — A Dangerous Coast — Nagasaki — General Grant's 

Tree — A Touching Incident — The Inland Sea of Japan — Kobe 
— A Japanese Passport — Journey to Kioto — The Politeness of the 
Japanese — The Ancient Capital of Japan — Historical — Will 
Adams — Commodore Perry — The Japanese Dress — Absence of 
Jewelry — The Kioto Jinrikisha — The Temple of Kwannon — One 

Thousand and One Images — The Buddha. 

I find in my notebook under date of March 13, 1896, 
the following entry: To-day at noon the English steamer 
" Ancona," three thousand tons burden, swung around in 
the harbor of Hong Kong and our voyage from China to 
Japan began. A strong wind was blowing from the north- 
east and the feeling was pretty general among- the passen- 
gers that we should have a rough passage. This feeling 
was intensified when orders were given to take down awn- 
ings and close portholes and hatchways. The few sails the 
ship carried were securely lashed to the yards and every 
rope and chain made tight. We were prepared for the 
storm if it came. There is wisdom in being ready, and 
these preparations gave us all confidence in our captain. 
Outside the harbor the sea was rough, but our course lay 
through the Straits of Formosa, so that we had the protec- 
tion of the land for some distance. Then came the wide 
stretch of sea where wind and waves had full play. The 
storm swept down with increasing force from the Yellow 
Sea, piling up the water into hills and ridges, tossing our 
staunch little steamer to and fro on the crest of the waves, 
(531) 



532 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

to the full content of those who enjoy a storm at sea, and 
to the great discomfort of those who fall an easy prey to 
seasickness. 

The night came down on the sea with inky blackness, 
and the storm wind howled and shrieked as it swept across 
the foaming, seething waters. It was a wild night. Before 
going to our cabins we commended ourselves to him in 
whom we trust. Then we sang, not only with our lips but 
from the innermost depth of the soul: 

"Jesus, lover of my soul, 
Let me to thy bosom fly, 
While the nearer waters roll, 
While the tempest still is high; 
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, 
Till the storm of life is past; 
Safe into the haven guide, 
O receive my soul at last." 

What if the storm comes and the billows roll, in the 
bosom of the Shepherd we sought and found refuge, and 
so through the night we slept the sleep of rest and peace. 
What a power there is in prayer, in this that while God 
does not remove the ills of life from us he gives us, as he 
did Paul, grace to bear them. And so amid the storms of 
life we may lie down in trustful peace, knowing that God 
will do that which is best. Shipwreck may come, a watery 
grave may be our lot, but if so it will be an open gateway to 
a home where storms never come. Is it not best to take 
this broader view of God's dealings with us? Do we not 
often belittle God's providence by our narrow views and ex- 
treme selfishness? God, help me to see thy wonderful good- 
ness and mercy in all thy dealings with me. 

The wind abated somewhat during the night, but the 
storm clouds still cover the sky. We have not had a 



PORT NAGASAKI. 533 

glimpse of the sun for two weeks, and how we long for the 
bright sunlight of India and the Isle of Spices. 

All day we coast along the southern shores of China. 
The captain of the " Ancona" tells us this is the most dan- 
gerous sea in the world to navigate and that many good 
ships are wrecked in these waters every year. We pass 
many rocks that seem dangerously near to our ship, as 
they are partly hidden by the water; but still they are far 
enough away when the water is smooth. But woe to the 
luckless mariner whose craft is caught here by the typhoon. 
Certain destruction awaits him. 

Four days out from Hong Kong we cast anchor in the 
harbor of Nagasaki, one of the ports of Japan, and have 
our first experience among the Japanese, who are by far the 
most interesting people in the Orient. As we remained at 
this port but half a day we had no time for extended obser- 
vation. We saw something of the old city which is without 
special interest outside of its people, who are always inter- 
esting. Near the city is a beautiful garden or park. The 
jinrikishas were ready to take us to the garden, and we spent 
part of the time very pleasantly strolling about the well- 
kept place. At one place we noticed a granite block upon 
which is engraved the following letter, in the well-known 
handwriting of General Grant: 

Nagasaki, Japan, June 22, 1879. 
At the request of Gov. Utsuma Mrs. Grant and I each 
planted a tree in the Nagasaki Park. I hope both trees 
may prosper, grow large, live long, and this growth, pros- 
perity and long life may be emblematical of the future of 
Japan. . U. S. Grant. 

Near by the tablet stand the trees planted nearly a 
score of years ago. Their growth in no way indicated the 
length of the lives of those who planted them. The one 



534 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

planted by the great general prospers, grows and gives 
promise of long life, while the one planted by Mrs Grant is 
dead and will soon be rotted away. Only a few years after 
the trees were planted Grant closed his earthly career. His 
wife still survives him. 

From Nagasaki our course lay through the Inland Sea 
of Japan, one of the most beautiful and picturesque bodies 
of water in the East. It is bordered with undulating hills 
and valleys, covered with a carpet of green, and dotted here 
and there with thriving cities and towns. This part of the 
voyage was delightfully pleasant, and we enjoyed it all the 
better because of the rough experience of the preceding 
days. 

As we steamed across this beautiful body of water an 
incident occurred which no one who witnessed it will soon 
forget. We had on board the " Ancona " the wife of the 
captain of a sister ship, the " Verona," and the two vessels 
running between Yokohama and Hong Kong would meet 
and pass within a hundred yards of each other on the Inland 
Sea. The wife was anxious to see and greet her husband as 
he passed, and the passengers were all interested in her 
wifely devotion. Presently the "Verona" appeared in 
sight, and the captain's wife stationed herself on the upper 
deck and waited to catch a glimpse of her husband as he 
passed by. We all watched with her, and as the ships 
neared each other the husband's voice was heard, and greet- 
ings were exchanged as the ship moved rapidly on. It was 
a pleasant incident, and yet it had a sad side — husband and 
wife so close together and yet so far apart. As the ships 
drew rapidly away from each other I thought of the day of 
judgment, when many a husband and wife will pass one to 
the right, the other to the left, and will see each other no 
more. 



TRAVELING INLAND. 535 

Arriving at Kobe, an important seaport of Japan, we 
decided, provided we could secure passports, to leave the 
"Ancona" and proceed by railway to Yokohama. This 
would give us an opportunity to see something of the in- 
terior of Japan and to become better acquainted with the 
people and their manners and customs. Without a pass- 
port a foreigner cannot travel inland beyond the narrow 
treaty limits of the open ports. Accordingly I trudged 
through the rain to the United States Consulate, where the 
state paper was to be had for the asking and the payment 
of one yen — about fifty cents of our money. The consul 
was absent, but his assistant, a gentlemanly Japanese, ar- 
ranged the matter and we were soon in possession of the 
needed papers. The passport was printed in Japanese. 
The English translation attached reads as follows: 

Consulate of the United States of America. 
At Hiogo, March 19, 1896. 
The annexed passport has been granted to the citizens 
of the United States whose names appear below, by the 
Hiogo Ken-Cho, for travel in the interior, at the request of 
the undersigned officer, through whom it must be returned 
at its expiration. The bearers are expressly cautioned to 
observe, in every particular, the directions of the Japanese 
Government printed in Japanese characters on the back of 
the passport, an English translation of which is given here- 
with, and they are expected and required to conduct them- 
selves in an orderly and conciliatory manner towards the 
Japanese authorities and people. 

The directions accompanying the passport say that 
upon request the traveler must show the paper to any 
officer or innkeeper for inspection. Failing to do this, he 
will be sent back to the nearest open port. The bearer 
must not rent a house in the interior, hunt, or use firearms, 



536 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

travel in a carriage by night without a light, attend a fire on 
horseback, drive rapidly on narrow roads, neglect to pay 
ferry and bridge tolls, injure notice signs, house signs and 
mile posts, scribble on temple or shrine walls, injure crops, 
shrubs, trees or plants, trespass on fields, or light fires in 
woods or hills or moors. 

The numerous prohibitions on the official document did 
not interfere with the pleasure of our tour through the coun- 
try. We had not the remotest idea of attending fires on 
horseback or of renting a house in the interior or of kin- 
dling a fire on hill or moor. It is evident that the Japanese 
are acquainted with the propensity of the average Ameri- 
can to write his name wherever he goes; hence the prohibi- 
tion against scribbling on temple walls. 

Armed with our passport, which threw around us the 
protection of the United States, we left Hiogo, otherwise 
Kobe, by railway for Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan 
and by far the most interesting city in all the country. 
Railroading in Japan is much like railroading in other parts 
of the world. The cars were comfortable, the seats facing 
each other with a spacious aisle in the center. The floor of 
the coaches' was covered with heavy rugs, and closed flat 
tin vessels filled with hot water furnished a grateful warmth, 
for the air was damp and cold outside. The roadbed was 
firm and the train ran without jolting or jarring. The rate 
of speed did not exceed twenty-five miles an hour; numer- 
ous stops were made to let off and take on passengers. 

Our first impression of the people was favorable to 
them. We found them polite, courteous, kind-hearted and 
well disposed toward Americans. Their politeness and cour- 
tesy is so strongly marked, and so manifest on all sides, that 
it may be set down as a national characteristic. During 
our two months' stay in Japan we never saw an exception 



CITY OF THE MIKADOS. 537 

to the general rule of refined courtesy on the part of those 
with whom we came in contact. From the highest official in 
government circles to the Coolie who pulls your jinrikisha 
through the streets you will receive the most polite atten- 
tion. The officials in charge of the train were as polite as 
the most refined gentlemen. Rudeness was entirely out of 
the question with them. 

At five in the evening the train rolled into the depot, 
and half an hour later we were going through the streets of 
the old capital of Japan, jinrikisha fashion, for the Kyoto 
hotel, where we found very pleasant and comfortable quar- 
ters during our stay in the City of the Mikados. 

A few facts as to Japan historically may not be without 
interest. The ancient history of the Japanese is so mingled 
with the fiction of mythology and the supernatural that it is 
wholly unreliable. Shintoism was the religion of the peo- 
ple; it means, literally, the " way of the gods." The em- 
perors were, according to this belief, descendants of the 
gods and divine honors were paid them living or dead. 
The motto of the times was, " Obey the emperor and be 
happy." This intermingling of the human and the divine 
led to the belief that the rulers possessed miraculous pow- 
ers, and wonderful stories are told of them. No depen- 
dence can be placed on the records prior to the fifth century 
of our era. Even the annals of the sixth and seventh centu- 
ries cannot be accepted with full credence. 

About A. D. 600 the nation was converted to the 
teaching of Buddha. From India the teachers of this doc- 
trine went into China, from where, in a corrupted stream, 
Buddhism was carried into Japan. Shintoism was not, how- 
ever, overthrown. It was taken into Buddhism and the two 
exist in Japan to-day. 

Coming down to later times, the first Englishman that 



533 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

ever resided in Japan was a sea captain by the name of 
Adams. On April 19, 1600, in a heavy storm he ran his 
ship into the harbor of Nagasaki, where he was taken pris- 
oner and carried before the emperor. The ruler was shrewd 
enough to recognize in Adams an able and useful man, and 
from that time until his death in 1620 he remained an exile 
from his native land. He was retained at the Japanese 
court and employed as a ship-builder and a teacher of ways 
English, and later as an agent to treat with other English 
traders who now began to visit the ports of Japan. Adams 
often referred to his wife and children in England, and re- 
iterated a desire to return to them again; but he died with- 
out having his desire gratified. It would seem that the em- 
peror amply rewarded the old sea captain for his services. 
In a quaint letter written by another adventurer, who visited 
Adams on his estate at Hemi, we have this account: " The 
estate is a Lordshipp given to Capt. Adams per the ould 
Emperour to hym and his foreaver, and confermed to his 
sonne, called Joseph. There is above 100 farms, or hous- 
holds, uppon it, besides others under them, all of which are 
his vassals, and he hath power of lyfe and death over them, 
they being his slaves; and he having as absolute authoritie 
over them as any king in Japan hath over his vassals." 

Not to an Englishman, however, but to an American 
belongs the praise and the title to lasting fame for having 
thrown open the door of eastern Asia to the world. Japan 
stubbornly refused to acknowledge the existence of an out- 
side world. Japan for the Japanese and death to foreigners 
was the motto inscribed on her banners. For more than 
two centuries she shut herself up in timid seclusion and 
admitted no foreigner to her soil. The barrier was broken 
by Commodore Perry, of the United States Navy. In July, 
1853, his fleet anchored off Uraga, a port at the entrance of 



PROGRESSIVE JAPAN. 539 

Yeddo Bay. The Japanese sought to prevent his landing, 
but setting aside every obstacle he succeeded in placing in 
the hands of the emperor the letter of President Filmore 
demanding the opening of the ports of Japan to United 
States ships and the establishment of commercial relations. 
Having accomplished his purpose, he proceeded to China, 
promising to return the next year for an answer. The re- 
sult was the first foreign treaty ever made by Japan. It was 
signed at Kanagawa, now Yokohama, on the 31st of March, 
1854. By this treaty two ports were opened to American 
trade and the barrier was thrown down. England, France 
and Russia followed in Perry's train and the port of Yoko- 
hama was thrown open to the world. In 1860-61 the em- 
peror of Japan sent an embassy to the United States, and 
the New Japan entered upon its existence. It resulted in a 
revolution "which, after plunging Japan into confusion and 
bloodshed, has regenerated on Western lines all her institu- 
tions, ideas, and aims, — this, which it takes so few words to 
say, but which implies so much, is the result of what Perry 
was instrumental in doing. Many things precious to the 
lovers of art and antiquity perished in the process, for old 
Japan was like an oyster: — to open it was to kill it." 

Perry's peaceful victory, won without the roar of can- 
non or clash of arms, marks an epoch in the history of Japan. 
Her progress since then has been one of the marvels of the 
century. From an unknown, illiterate heathen nation, she 
has in forty years taken her place among the progressive 
nations of the world. In the war with China she showed 
her mettle, and in a few sharp, decisive blows brought the 
Chinese empire to her feet. In the diplomatic and commer- 
cial relations that exist between civilized nations, Japan, 
from this time forward, must be taken into account as an 
important factor. Her future, judging from the past, is full 



540 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

of promise, and it is not too much to hope that her progress 
may open up the vast territory of China to the Christianiz- 
ing and civilizing influence now so active in most parts of 
the world. 

Japan, called Nippon in the native tongue, means liter- 
ally, " sun origin," " the place where the sun comes from." 
The Chinese gave it this name because the islands were east 
of their own country and the sun appeared to them to rise 
out of the archipelago. Hence its poetical name, " The 
Land of the Rising Sun." It comprises four large islands, 
with about four thousand smaller ones clustering around the 
larger. Its area, exclusive of the territory recently ac- 
quired by treaty from China, resulting from the late war, is 
147,655 square miles. In area it is 20,000 square miles less 
than the three Western States of Illinois, Iowa and Nebras- 
ka, but in population it exceeds them about six to one. 
According to the census of 1890 the states named had a 
population of 7,077,666. In 1893 the census of Japan 
showed a population of 41,089,940. With the same density 
of population the United States would contain more than 
three hundred million souls, a condition altogether possi- 
ble to be realized before the close of the twentieth cen- 
tury. 

Kyoto, the western capital, and until 1869 the residence 
of the imperial family, has a population of nearly three 
hundred thousand, and is, as already intimated, the most in- 
teresting city in Japan. The seaport cities are more or less 
Europeanized. In them many of the natives have adopted 
the costumes worn by the English and the Americans, but 
here the people very sensibly cling to their own convenient 
and healthful style of dress. During our stay in the capital 
we rode about the streets in jinrikishas, visited the most im- 
portant temples, the imperial palace and other places of in- 




Japanese Ladies in Winter Dress. 



JAPANESE DRESS. 543 

terest, and during that period we did not see a Japanese 
lady or gentleman dressed in American or European cloth- 
ing. In this they show their good sense and fine taste. 

Speaking in a general way about the dress of the Japan- 
ese, the kimono, or outer garment, resembles an American 
dressing gown. It is folded across the breast, leaving the 
neck exposed, is held in place by a sash or belt, and is worn 
alike by both sexes, the principal difference being in the 
sleeves, which are cut square and are made larger in the 
dress worn by the women. The large sleeves are utilized as 
pockets and are very convenient for this purpose. 

The sash or belt which keeps the kimono in place is 
formed into a large bow on the back, known as the obi, and 
is the principal ornament of the female dress. The clothing 
is plain, especially among married women, loose-fitting, 
comfortable, healthful and withal neat and tasty. No at- 
tempt is made by the Japanese women to compress the 
waist by binding it in steel frame, health-destroying corsets, 
so generally worn by Christian women in Europe and 
America to improve the form and produce a wasp-like 
waist. The Japanese ladies, as a rule, have too much good 
common sense to indulge in tight lacing. If the few orna- 
ments worn in the hair be excepted, it may be said that 
jewelry is not worn by the women of Japan. Among the 
converts to Christianity are found those who, following the 
fashion set by the wives of some of the missionaries, wear 
jewelry; but this is the exception and not the rule. 

The wealthy people wear kimonos of the finest quality 
of silk, and Japan produces the finest silk in the world. 
An aristocratic Japanese lady's dress may represent a value 
of two hundred dollars, and between this and the Coolies' 
poor trappings, which cost two dollars, there is every 
grade of clothing and range of price. As the fashion of 



544 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

the garments does not change, they are handed down from 
father to son and from mother to daughter. Think of a 
fashionable lady in America wearing her grandmother's 
gown! She would be the observed of all observers. Since 
her grandmother was a young lady the fashion has changed 
a score of times. Not so in Japan. The fashion of the kim- 
ono has not changed in a score of generations. No time is 
spent by the Japanese ladies in studying the latest fashion 
plates, or racking their brains about the latest thing out in 
spring or winter bonnets. " In all its essentials," says an 
author who has made a careful study of the subject, " the fe- 
male costume of Japan has remained the same, decade after 
decade; graceful, artistic, comfortable, and wholesome. 
The women of this country never abbreviated the interval 
between themselves and savagery by boring holes in their 
ears to hang baubles there, by loading their fingers with 
rings, by encasing their chests in frames of steel and bone, 
by distorting their feet with high-heeled shoes, by tricking 
their heads with feathers, and by sticking dead birds over 
their raiment." 

The Japanese ladies take great pains in arranging their 
hair, which is always jet black and of which they have a 
great wealth. The assistance of some one is indispensable 
in arranging the hair. There are folds and braids and tiny 
ornamental pins and tortoise shell combs used in a way to 
produce the finest effect. At night, to keep her coiffure in- 
tact, the lady has a narrow wooden block surmounted with a 
roll of cotton for a pillow. On this she rests her neck, and 
thus keeps her hair from being disarranged. In warm 
weather she appears on the street with her head uncovered, 
while in the winter she wears a cloth over the head and 
about the neck. 

The children's dress is much like that of their elders. 



ADOPT EUROPEAN DRESS. 



547 



The child's kimono is but a miniature of the one worn by 
the father and mother. Every child wears a small charm 
bag at its side, which is supposed to have the virtue of 
keeping evil away from them. It is made of bright colored 
cloth and contains the mamori-fuda, or charm. Usually 
children have a metal tag fastened about the neck with 
name and address stamped on it. In the event of their be- 
ing lost it is easy to locate them. Among the poor class 
children are scantily clad even in the winter, and in summer 
they run about clad only in nature's garb. 

Within the past few years the progressive ideas of the 
people have led some of them to adopt European dress; 
this not because it is better than their own, but as a mark 
of advancement in civilization. The court at Tokio has 
adopted the Paris styles, and it has made some progress in 
the open ports. But the public appeal, signed by Mrs. 
Cleveland, Mrs. Garfield and scores of other prominent 
women of America, to the ladies of Japan, in which they 
hope that they are " too patriotic to endanger the health of 
a nation, and to abandon what is beautiful and suitable in 
their .national costume, and to waste money on foreign 
fashions," is having its influence, and it is to be hoped for 
the sake of the health and prosperity of Japan that she will 
cling to her own style of dress. 

In Kyoto the jinrikisha is the only means of public con- 
veyance. The Japanese vehicle does not differ materially 
from those used in Ceylon and the Straits Settlements on 
the peninsula of Malacca, already described at some length, 
the only noticeable difference being that in Japan many of 
the jinrikishas are wide enough to seat two people. The 
Japanese are a small race and two of them are drawn about 
with apparent ease. Usually, however, when two persons 
ride two men furnish the motive power, one to push and the 



548 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

other to pull. In the courtyard in front of our hotel a 
score of 'rikisha men with their miniature buggies were sta- 
tioned waiting for passengers. After one has had time to 
overcome the feeling that it is not right to be drawn about 
the streets by men, it comes to be a pleasant and enjoyable 
method of seeing a large city. Your view is wholly unob- 
structed, and you can thread narrow streets where a larger 
vehicle could not go. Then there is no occasion to hurry. 
You can have your 'rikisha man walk along slowly when 
places- of interest are in sight, and you can make observa- 
tions and take notes, as it were on the wing. The men are 
careful and faithful. 

In May, 1891, the present Czar of Russia with his cous- 
in, Prince George of Greece, was traveling in Japan. 
While riding through the streets the Czar was attacked by 
an assassin and had it not been for the timely aid rendered 
by his cousin and the two jinrikisha men, Mukobata and 
Kitaga, he would have been murdered. The two men are 
the heroes of the jinrikisha world. Honors and rewards 
were showered on them alike by the Czar and the Emperor 
of Japan. 

Kyoto, having been for many years the royal residence, 
abounds in temples great and small, with many images of 
the gods of Japan. To describe them in detail would be to 
write volumes. I shall attempt only a very brief descrip- 
tion of several of the most important which we visited. 

A delightful ride through the city brought us to the 
San-ju-san-gendo, the temple of Kwannon, the goddess of 
mercy. It is also called the temple of 33,333 images. 
There are actually 1,001 images of the goddess set up in the 
place. The goddess is reputed to have a thousand hands, 
and an image for each hand with one thrown in for good 
measure was required to satisfy the image-loving Emperor 



TEMPLE OF SAN-TU. 55 1 

Kameyama, who rebuilt the temple and set up the images 
in 1266 A. D. The building is 389 feet in length and 57 
feet wide. With exception of a narrow walk at one side, 
the entire building is occupied by the images. They are 
carved out of wood, each five feet in height and stand on 
pedestals placed in tiers along the side of the building. 
Our photogravure shows one-half of the building. A large 
seated image will be noticed in the foreground. This is 
placed in the center of the building, so that we have in view 
only half of the images. The number 33,333 is obtained by 
including in the computation the smaller images on the 
foreheads, the halos and the hands of the larger ones. The 
images are gilded with gold and present an impressive ap- 
pearance. Passing slowly along the temple aisle we noticed 
several pedestals without images. This was explained later 
when we entered the workshop at the rear of the building, 
where several men were kept constantly at work repairing 
and restoring the gods. 

An idea of the traditions connected with Japanese wor- 
ship and of the superstitious belief of the ignorant among the 
people, is given in the following, which is connected with 
the temple of San-Tu. The Emperor Go-Shivakawa, being 
troubled with severe headaches which all the usual rem- 
edies failed to relieve, made a pilgrimage to the temple of 
the goddess of mercy to pray for relief. He was directed 
by the gods to apply to a celebrated Indian physician then 
resident at a temple in the capital. He at once proceeded 
thither, when a monk appeared and informed him that in a 
previous state of existence his majesty had been a pious 
monk who for his merits had been promoted to the rank of 
mikado in this present life; but that his former skull was ly- 
ing in the bottom of a river undissolved, and that out of it 
grew a willow tree which shook every time the wind blew. 



552 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

causing his majesty's head to ache. On arriving the em- 
peror instituted a search for the skull, and having found it 
had it enclosed in the head of the large image in this tem- 
ple, whereupon he was cured of his headache. 

The followers of Buddha in Japan delight in making 
colossal images of their god. Near the temple of Kwannon 
is the celebrated wooden image of Buddha, called the Dai- 
butsu. It consists of only the head and shoulders of the 
god, without the body. Such are its dimensions, however, 
that it reaches to the ceiling of the lofty hall in which it is 
kept. The height of the image is fifty-eight feet, and the 
breadth of the shoulders forty-three feet, the face being 
thirty feet in length. The head and face are gilded with 
gold and the image presents an imposing appearance. At 
Kamakara we saw another great image of the Buddha, a 
picture of which is given on page 553. It is said to be one 
of the finest examples of Japanese sculpture. The image is 
forty-nine feet in height and ninety-seven feet in circumfer- 
ence. Notice the two Japanese standing at the base of the 
image, showing by comparison its great size. "The eyes of 
the image are of pure gold and the silver boss, the projec- 
tion on the forehead, weighs thirty pounds. The image is 
formed of sheets of bronze cast separately, brazed together, 
and finished off on the outside with the chisel. The hollow 
interior of the figure contains a small shrine, and by means 
of a winding stairway one may ascend into the head." 

It will be noticed that the head of the Daibutsu is cov- 
ered with small, round protuberances. They are made to 
represent snails. It is said that when Buddha sat so long 
beneath the bo tree in India, the afternoon tropical sun beat 
down on his head. The snails, the story says, taking pity 
on the sufferer, crawled to the top of his head and arranged 




Buddha Daibutsu. 



GREATEST NEED OF JAPAN. 555 

themselves so as to form a complete covering for the god, 
thus protecting his head from the rays of the sun. 

Another temple, among the number visited in Kyoto, 
worthy of brief mention, is the new Buddhist building 
known as Higashi Honwanji. It has just been completed 
and occupies the site of a similar structure destroyed by fire 
in 1864, and is the largest temple of its kind in Japan. The 
building is imposing in appearance and abounds in fine 
carvings and exquisite woodwork. The interior is beauti- 
fully finished in highly-polished native wood, and the skill 
of the joiner is to be seen on every hand, for Japan has 
some of the most skillful carvers and woodworkers in the 
world. 

After making the rounds of the temples at Kyoto I was 
deeply impressed with the thought that the greatest need of 
Japan to-day is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These kindly 
disposed, gentle people, with unlimited power of imitation 
and a strong and earnest desire for progress, ought to be 
rescued from their idolatry and their hearts turned to the 
worship of the true and living God. The possibilities of the 
progress of these people, in civilization founded on the relig- 
ion of Christ, are beyond computation. They are now handi- 
capped and hindered by their idolatrous worship and ob- 
servances. Replace the temple of Buddha and Shinto with 
churches of God, where the principles of primitive Christi- 
anity are taught and practiced, give the people the pure and 
undefiled religion of Jesus, and in half a century no nation 
in the world will stand ahead of Japan in civilization. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



A Buddhist Temple — A Crowd of Worshipers — Selling Prayers — 
Plastering an Idol — The Liberality of the Idol Worshipers — 
Ringing a Bell to Awaken the God — The Food of the Gods — The 
fapanese Kago — Purchasing a Kimono — fapanese Children — 
Prom Kyoto to Yokohama — The fapanese Pipes — Letters from 
Home — Nikko the City of Temples — The Emperor s Bridge — 
General Grant's Modesty — A fapanese Hotel — Eating Under 
Difficulties — The Sacred White Horse — Bean Selling — Tokio — 
" Oh, How I Wish I Could Feel an Earthquake!" — Our Experi- 
ence With Earthquakes — Destruction Wrought by the Quaking 
Earth — Earthquake Houses — The Kingdom of Christ Shall Not 
Be Shaken. 

The temple worship, if the exercises witnessed by us in 
the principal temples of Kyoto can be dignified by the 
name of worship, has its interesting side to the stranger 
who sees it all for the first time. The accompanying 
reproduction of a Buddhist temple, from a Japanese print, 
may be examined before entering the enclosure with its 
many buildings. The numbers correspond with the follow- 
ing description: 

i. The two-storied gateway, at the entrance to the 
temple grounds. This building is usually elaborately 
carved and is approached by a stairway. 

2. A smaller hall called Gaku-do. 

3. The belfry where hangs the temple bell, which is 
sounded by means of a heavy piece of timber swung back 
and forth as a battering ram. 

4. 5. The main temple and the founder's hall. 

(556) 



TEMPLE GROUNDS. 557 

6, 7. A reliquary containing sacred relics, and the re- 
volving library where a complete copy of the Buddhist 
canon is kept. 

8, 9. The priests' apartments and the reception room. 

10. The treasure house where the money is kept. 

11. The kitchen connected by a gallery with the 
priests' quarters. 

12. The cistern or tank where the hands are washed 
before entering the temple to worship. 

13. The drum tower. 

14. The Pagoda. 

15. Stone lanterns. 

The day we visited Higashi Hongwanji a festival of 
some kind was in progress and the new temple and grounds 
were crowded with Japanese of every age and rank. It was 
a good-natured, smiling crowd; everybody seemed to be en- 
joying himself. Entering the gateway, the tank or cistern 
was first approached, where the necessary washing was 
made before entering the temple. Several towels hanging 
by the side of the tank were used for drying the hands. 
Once they may have been white, but now they were black 
and grimy from numerous wipings. Ascending the broad 
stairway leading to the great hall or audience room of 
the temple, the shoes are removed and placed in rows in 
front of the entrance, for no Japanese will enter his house 
or his temple with his street shoes on his feet. As a result 
the floors are kept scrupulously clean. And what an array 
of Japanese foot gear decorated the entrance to the temple. 
There were thousands of shoes of all sizes to be seen. The 
wonder to me was how each was to know his own when 
he came out of the temple. Following the crowd, we ap- 
proached the entrance, and were met by a polite official 
who handed each of us a pair of felt socks large enough to 



ASSEMBLY WORSHIPING EEFORE AN IDOL. 559 

slip over our boots. Thus shod we were permitted to enter 
the temple and wander about at our own sweet will. Pass- 
ing into the enclosure, a strange sight met our eyes. A vast 
throng of worshipers were squatted on the floor. The room 
was without a bench or chair. The people were crowded 
close together, forming a semicircle around the golden 
image of the god, which occupied a place in the center of 
one side of the hall. A railing three feet high kept the 
crowd from approaching too near the image. Only the 
priests were permitted to enter the inner enclosure. 

I at once became an interested spectator of the strange 
scene around me. It was the first time I had ever witnessed 
a whole assembly of people worshiping before an idol. In 
India I had seen the individual worship before the image of 
his god, but here were thousands sitting on the floor with 
bowed heads and lips moving in silent prayer. The crowd 
was constantly changing. After remaining seated a few 
minutes the devotees would rise and go out, others coming 
and taking their places. Before leaving, however, a written 
prayer was usually purchased from the priests, who have a 
monopoly of selling prayers. I am told they do a thriving 
business. They furnish on demand any kind of prayer 
wanted. The kind most generally purchased are for the re- 
covery of sick friends, or for those who have a journey to 
make by land or by sea. 

At some places, I was told, it is the custom after the 
prayer has been purchased, to place in the mouth the paper 
on which it has been written. It is then chewed until re- 
duced to pulp, when it is formed into a ball. The worship- 
er then throws it with all his strength against one of the 
numerous images of the gods, usually the one at the gate- 
way. If the paper wad sticks fast to the idol, it is believed 
the prayer will be answered, and the devotee goes away 



560 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

satisfied. If this result is not obtained, another prayer must 
be purchased and another attempt made to secure the favor 
of the god by making a wad of pulp stick fast to his image. 
Seeing these kindly disposed people engaged in the wor- 
ship of their false gods is a sad sight, and how one wishes 
that they might be rescued from their idolatry and all its 
consequences and brought to worship the true and living 
God. 

After spending some time among the worshipers in the 
main hall of the temple we visited other parts of the build- 
ing and were compelled to admire the fine workmanship and 
the skill of the wood carvers which was to be seen in every 
part of the structure. Finer or more skillful work has nev- 
er come under my notice. Returning again to the hall, we 
found that the worshipers had all departed. The floor of 
the temple where they had been sitting was literally cov- 
ered with small pieces of money, known as cash or rins. 
The priests were engaged in sweeping the bits of metal to- 
gether and gathering them up with shovels and depositing 
the money in the temple treasury. The value of the brass 
rin is about one mill of our money. It was a novel method 
of taking up a collection, and it showed that the Japanese 
were willing to pay something for their false religion. The 
amount given by each individual was small, but all gave 
and I was informed by our guide that some of the wealthy 
people dropped into the treasury as much as from fifty to 
one hundred dollars. 

At another temple the giving was conducted on a dif- 
ferent plan. A box was arranged before the idol, into 
which the contributions were cast. Those who gave took 
the precaution to ring a bell first to waken up the god, so 
that their liberality might not pass unnoticed. After throw- 
ing in the gift a prayer was offered and the worshiper went 



THE KAGO. 561 

his way. The ringing of the bell shows that the people be- 
lieve that their god sleeps. It will be remembered that 
Elijah the prophet told the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel to 
cry louder, perhaps their god was asleep or had gone on a 
long journey. So the Japanese ring a bell to arouse their 
drowsy gods. 

In one of the rooms of the Higashi Hongwanji, visitors 
are permitted to purchase small quantities of the sacred 
food, " the food of the gods," the guide said, which is highly 
prized by the Japanese. Prayers are also sold, mounted on 
heavy paper for preservation. I brought away with me, as 
relics, several of the prayers with a small quantity of pre- 
pared rice and several pieces of the bread used in the tem- 
ple. Of course it is well understood by the people that the 
food furnished for the gods is appropriated and used by the 
priests who serve the people in the temple. As more is 
furnished than they can consume it is sold and becomes a 
source of revenue. Some people are willing to pay a high 
price for a small piece of the so-called sacred bread. 

The day spent among the temples was followed by a 
quiet, pleasant evening at the hotel. The weather had 
turned suddenly cooler and a bright fire in the chimney 
grate added warmth and cheerfulness to our rooms. During 
the evening several merchants called upon us and invited us 
to visit their places of business, or if we preferred they 
would bring goods to the hotel for our inspection. The 
tradesmen are polite and very attentive to customers, but 
their prices are subject to violent fluctuations. 

We have seen the sedan chair in use in Malacca and 
China, but Japan has still another means of transit, known 
as the kago. It is used by the natives, and Americans who 
can endure the torture, in traveling long distances in out-of- 
the-way places. A better idea of the construction of the 



562 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

kago and the method of carrying it on the shoulders may be 
obtained from the photogravure on page 563 than from any 
description that might be written. As will be seen the kago 
is very simple in construction. Bamboo poles are used and 
the close observer will notice a look of content and comfort 
on the face of the little Japanese lady seated in her kago. 
On top of the chair, as with the old-fashioned stage coach, 
is arranged a place for baggage. The cloth traveling bag 
and the umbrella of the occupant of the kago are fastened 
on top, while her street shoes or clogs hang at one side. 
Upon lighting from her seat she slips the clogs on her feet 
and is ready to proceed on foot. The men who carry the 
traveler are shod with rice straw sandals fastened about the 
foot with a thin rope made of the same material. A pair of 
sandals of this kind, all complete, costs less than one cent, 
and protects the soles of the feet of the carriers. As a 
matter of economy the sandals are taken off and carried 
where the roads are smooth. The posture assumed while 
sitting in the kago is comfortable enough for the natives, 
who are used to sitting on their feet, but it is attended with 
great discomfort to those who, like Americans, are not used 
to doubling up their lower limbs and sitting upon them. In 
a very short time the limbs become so benumbed that when 
an effort is made to stand they refuse to bear the weight of 
their owner. It will be observed that the lady's head 
touches the top of the chair. As Americans are taller than 
the Japanese the head must be thrown back, adding still 
further to the discomfort of the traveler. As an instrument 
of torture for foreigners the kago may be voted a success. 
When it is stated that in some isolated places this is the 
only means of traveling, unless walking is preferred — and 
we always preferred to walk — the difficulty of reaching out- 
of-the-way places will be apparent. 



CHEERFULNESS, KINDLINESS. 565 

As before intimated, the Japanese are kindly disposed 
and take great interest in the strangers who come among 
them. In the interior the foreigner with his peculiar dress 
is a great curiosity to the natives, and wherever he goes is 
sure to attract more or less attention. At Kyoto we made 
a few purchases, and we no sooner stopped in front of the 
door of a shop than we were the center of a good-natured 
crowd. At one of the shops I made an effort to buy a kim- 
ono — the outer garment worn by men. I had some diffi- 
culty in making the merchant understand that I must have 
the largest sized garment he had in stock. He finally pro- 
duced one that he thought large enough for me. By this 
time a large crowd had collected, and when I finally suc- 
ceeded in getting into the cloak and found that it lacked 
nearly a foot of coming together in front the crowd seemed 
to enjoy the situation and indulged in a hearty laugh. I 
afterwards had my measure taken and a kimono cut and 
made to order to take home with me. 

The truth of the old adage, " The boy is father to the 
man," is nowhere more clearly shown than in Japan. Good 
nature, cheerfulness, kindliness of disposition, is the rule 
among the children of the flowery kingdom. I have seen 
them at play many times, and they enter into it with a hap- 
py, joyous abajidofi that is most pleasant to look upon. 
They are peaceful and happy and are full of enjoyment. I 
am told that a fight among Japanese children is of very rare 
occurrence. In this they are in advance of some of the 
Christian nations. 

As soon as a child is old enough to bear the burden, a 
younger brother or sister is given into its care, and the two 
become inseparable companions. The little one is securely 
strapped to the back of its guardian and seems to take 
kindly to its rather peculiar situation. If the boy is sent on 



566 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

an errand the baby goes with him. He becomes a kind of 
traveling Ki?idergarten. It is not unusual to see a number 
of children at play, each with a baby brother or sister 
strapped on the back. The little ones apparently enjoy the 
sport and the situation. When they grow weary they take 
a nap with the head thrown back or pressed against the 
shoulders of their carriers, and sleep as soundly as if rocked 
in a cradle on pillows of softest down. One of the evils re- 
sulting from this custom is that the sun beats down on the 
upturned face of the child and the eyes are often injured. 

At Kamakara, near Yokohama, I saw a group of chil- 
dren engaged in kite flying, a national pastime for both 
children and grown people. A boy of twelve years, with 
his baby brother of as many months strapped to his back, 
was enjoying the national sport. His kite was soaring 
gracefully far up in the air, and both boy and baby were 
happy. By some means the kite string slipped from his 
hand and was dragged along the ground. The little fellow 
ran after the string as fast as his legs would carry him, grab- 
bing for it as he ran. Finally he stumbled and fell flat to 
the ground, but with outstretched hand captured the fugi- 
tive kite string as he fell. I expected to hear the baby 
brother cry out, but he remained perfectly quiet and ap- 
peared to take the fall of his keeper as one of the ordinary 
" downs " in life. 

On the twentieth of March we bade farewell to the an- 
cient capital of Japan, with its temples and idols and in- 
tensely interesting people, and went to Yokohama, from 
where six weeks later we were to sail for the Golden Gate 
and the home land. The journey by rail took eighteen 
hours, and first-class tickets cost nine yen and forty-three 
sen each, about five dollars in our money. The only un- 
pleasant thing about the journey was the smoke. In Japan 




Japanese Boys Carrying Babies. 



YOKOHAMA. 569 

men and women stand on a perfect equality in one thing, if 
in nothing else. They all smoke the pipe. And why not? 
Is a man so much better than a woman that he should enjoy 
a privilege and deny her equal liberty? The pipe is a tiny 
bit of thing — a kind of toy pipe — and holds but a pinch of 
yellow tobacco, just enough for three whiffs of smoke. The 
pipe is filled and lighted, the three whiffs taken, and then 
the smoker rests a minute or two, and the pipe is filled 
again. This is repeated until the smoker's desire is grati- 
fied. All Japanese ladies and gentlemen carry in their 
belt a well-filled tobacco pouch with pipe case attached, and 
are always ready for a smoke. A half dozen smokers in our 
coach kept the air blue with the smoke of burning tobacco 
for the greater part of the night, and we rejoiced when the 
train rolled into the depot at Yokohama, that we could es- 
cape from the fumes of tobacco and breathe heaven's fresh, 
pure air again. 

We found a pleasant home in Yokohama at Miss Brit- 
tain's private boarding house at the rate of five dollars per 
week. It is on the bluff commanding a fine view of city 
and harbor, and we enjoyed our stay very much, with the 
exception of an occasional earthquake; but more about 
earthquakes later. We had received no mail since leaving 
India, and upon going to the post office found eighty letters 
and a score or more papers awaiting our arrival. Several 
days were spent in reading letters and papers, and we re- 
joiced that only good news came to us; but with this in our 
favor the heart would yearn for the dear old home land. 

To write of all we saw of interest in Japan would be to 
add another volume to this. This is out of the question, 
and I must therefore content myself with brief mention of 
what impressed me most. As at other places so here the 
great wealth of interesting things to write about leaves one 



570 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

in doubt, not as to what shall be said but as to what shall be 
left unsaid. 

From Yokohama we made a number of excursions to 
various places of more than ordinary interest. Among 
these were Tokio, the present capital of the country, and 
Nikko, the city of temples, the most sacred place in all 
Japan. The Mohammedans have their Mecca, the Hindus 
their Benares, the Buddhists their Kandy, and the Japanese 
their Nikko. The Japanese holy place is more than any of 
the others. Lying as it does some two thousand feet above 
the level of the sea in a mountainous region it is, in addition 
to its temples and shrines, a delightful summer resort. No 
other place in Japan can show so many of the beauties of 
nature. Within a radius of a few miles of Nikko there are 
no less than twenty-five beautiful waterfalls and cascades. 
It is said that in autumn the tints of the foliage are the most 
beautiful in the world. 

To write of the temples of Nikko and the beautiful 
pagodas would be a repetition of what has been written 
about the temples of Kyoto. Annually the Emperor of 
Japan goes to Nikko to worship. In order to reach the 
temples a stream of water must be crossed. Over the 
stream two bridges have been built, one for ordinary mor- 
tals and the other for the emperor and his suite. The lat- 
ter is called the red bridge, from its bright red color, which 
forms a striking contrast to the rushing water below and 
the deep green of the rich shrubbery on the banks of the 
stream. It is eighty-four feet long and eighteen wide and 
was built in 1638. At each end are gates which are kept 
constantly closed except when the emperor crosses. 

In connection with the red bridge an incident is related 
which shows the tact and the natural modesty of America's 
great soldier statesman, General Grant. When he visited 



NATIVE JAPANESE HOTEL. 571 

Nikko in his journey around the world, the Emperor of 
Japan, desiring to show his distinguished and illustrious 
guest every possible honor, ordered the sacred bridge to be 
opened and the General to be invited to cross over on the 
Mikado's sacred way. Upon reaching the river and seeing 
v/hat had been done and receiving the invitation General 
Grant said, " The Emperor's feet alone must tread upon the 
sacred bridge." Saying this he walked across the lower 
bridge and won golden opinions from the Japanese for the 
respect thus shown to their ruler. General Grant had all 
the elements of true greatness in his character, and not the 
least of these was his native modesty. The show and dis- 
play of position so gratifying to weak-minded men was en- 
tirely distasteful to him. He was a great man, apparently 
entirely unconscious of his greatness. 

At Nikko I had my first experience in a native Japanese 
hotel. I was shown a room scrupulously clean with soft 
matting on the floor, and thick, quilted comforters which 
served as a bed. There was not a single piece of furniture 
in the room. The partitions were made of paper on sliding 
frames and the room could easily be enlarged by sliding the 
partitions together. When the hour for the noonday meal 
came the sliding door of my room was pushed back and a 
servant appeared with what seemed to be a small box a foot 
high and eighteen inches square. It proved to be a table. 
In order to get down to it I was compelled to squat after 
the fashion of the Japanese. The servant came with a lac- 
quered tray on which was a small bowl of soup and a small 
piece of fish. Drinking the soup out of the bowl — spoons 
with knives and forks are unknown in the native house — I 
tried the experiment of eating the fish with chop sticks, two 
sticks about the length and thickness of a common lead 
pencil. It is not an easy task at first, but one soon acquires 



572 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

the use of the Oriental knife and fork. After the soup and 
fish came a number of peculiar dishes. A taste of each 
fully satisfied my curiosity. A wooden box filled with rice 
well cooked and steaming hot supplied the main part of the 
meal. I had at last reached safe ground, and ate heartily 
of the rice. It was served in a small china bowl and con- 
veyed to the mouth with the chop sticks. The servants 
sat by ready to fill the bowl as fast as it was emptied. 
After the rice came a cup of tea and then water to wash the 
hands, and the servant, table and all disappeared, and I was 
left to lie down on the mattress and enjoy an afternoon nap. 

The dinner was good, but the agony of squatting on the 
floor an hour made the eating a punishment rather than a 
pleasure. I tried a number of positions but found none 
satisfactory, and am ready to say I do not consider the na- 
tive Japanese hotel a success. 

At one of the temples at Nikko a peculiar custom is 
kept up. A beautiful white horse is kept for the special use 
of the god Ieyasu. The horse is sleek and fat, and as the 
god never uses him he has an easy time of it. Every visitor 
is required to purchase from the attendant priest a small 
measure of beans for the support of the animal. As there 
are many visitors the priest does a thriving business. The 
horse eats but a small portion of the beans purchased for 
him, and they are sold over again and again. During the 
summer season the priest sells enough beans to feed a troop 
of horses. The element of deception associated with re- 
ligion is practiced in all parts of the world. In our own 
country it flourishes in som°. of the churches in the half 
disguised gambling and lottery schemes introduced in the 
church festival in the shape of grab bags and kindred de- 
vices. Here it is openly conducted in selling food for the 



TEMPLE OF KWANNON. 575 

sacred white horse which he never eats. Of the two the 
Japanese method is the less objectionable. 

Tokio was our home a portion of the time we spent in 
Japan. It is at the present time the seat of government 
and contains the imperial residence. In round numbers the 
population may be set down at a million and a half. The 
city is to some extent Europeanized, and hence is not so in- 
teresting as the old capital Kyoto. It boasts a street rail- 
way, but the people do not patronize it to any great extent. 
There are thirty-eight thousand jinrikishas in Tokio, and 
these furnish the principal means of transit. There are 
temples and temples and idols by the hundred, but we have 
seen enough of these. I am, however, tempted to quote 
from a description of the temple of Kwannon, the goddess of 
Mercy: "On no account could a visit to this popular tem- 
ple be omitted; for it is the greatest holiday resort of the 
middle and lower classes, and nothing is more striking than 
the juxtaposition of piety and pleasure, of gorgeous altars 
and grotesque ex-votaries, of pretty costumes and dingy 
idols, the clatter of the clogs, cocks and hens and pigeons 
strutting about among the worshipers, children playing, sol- 
diers smoking, believers chaffering with dealers in charms, 
ancient art, modern advertisements — in fine a spectacle than 
which surely nothing more motley was ever witnessed with- 
in a religious edifice." 

Chamberlain tells how foreigners, who land in Japan for 
the first time, express themselves in regard to earthquakes. 
" Oh, how I wish I could feel an earthquake! " is usually 
the first exclamation on the subject. " What a paltry sort 
of a thing it is, considering the fuss people make about it! " 
is generally his remark on his second earthquake, for the 
first one he invariably sleeps through. But after the fifth 
and sixth he never wants to feel another; and his terror of 



576 GIRDLING THE GI OBE. 

earthquakes grows with length of residence in an earth- 
quake-shaken land, such as Japan has been from time im- 
memorial. 

1 cannot say that we had a strong desire to feel an 
earthquake. We knew the experience would come to us in 
a land where nearly four hundred seismic disturbances oc- 
cur every year. It is true that we did not dread them and 
were rather anxious for the first experience, and it is also 
true that before we left Japan we had a terror of the fearful 
quaking of the earth. I slept through the first, was awak- 
ened by the second, and tried to count the waves of the 
third. I quote from my journal: We came up to Tokio 
yesterday to spend a short time in the capital. Last night 
we had a very severe earthquake shock. It occurred at 
10: 38 P. M. I noticed this because the clocks in the hotel 
stopped at the time named. I was awakened by the move- 
ment of the bed, and the first thought was of the rocking of 
a ship at sea. I did not seem to be alarmed, but lay quietly 
in bed, noting the regularity with which the waves increased 
until the maximum was reached and then decreased with 
some degree of regularity until with a quivering motion they 
ceased. Our bed rocked to and fro, the timbers creaked, 
the dogs set to howling and there was a general uproar 
about the hotel. A low, rumbling noise was heard as of 
distant thunder. The waves followed each other in quick 
succession, and in about two minutes the shock was over 
and all was quiet. I said I was not alarmed, but when it 
was all over my heart was beating with more than ordinary 
rapidity, an indication of some excitement. 

After this experience we had a wholesome dread of the 
earthquake. During our stay in Japan we felt twelve dif- 
ferent shocks caused by the quaking of the earth. The last 
one occurred the day before we left the country, and was 




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EFFECTS OF EARTHQUAKE. 579 

by far the most severe of all. It came at 1 1 : 30 A. M. We 
were packing up preparatory to leaving, and for about 
three minutes the waves were continuous. The chandelier 
hanging in our room swung back and forth like a pendu- 
lum. The house rocked as if it would come down, and we 
sought the usual place of safety under the jamb of the door. 
When it was all over we had occasion to be thankful that it 
was no worse. 

But not all escape so easily as we did. Thousands of 
people lose their lives, and towns and cities are completely 
destroyed. In the great earthquake at Nagoya in 1891 
more than four thousand people were killed. A missionary 
who was at the place when the disturbance took place told 
me that three men were killed in the street by his side, 
stricken down by falling walls and flying timbers. The 
photogravure on page 577 shows the government buildings, 
post and telegraph office immediately after the shock was 
over. It was a strong brick building, constructed with a 
view of resisting earthquakes, but the waves of the earth 
left it as seen in the picture, a complete wreck. 

The houses in Japan are the "offspring of the earth- 
quake." The natives build low, light houses, not over two 
stories high, and many of them do not exceed one story. 
The greatest danger is from the heavy roofs. Tiling is 
used for roofing, and the timbers must be strong enough to 
support the weight. When the houses are shaken down 
many of the unfortunate people are caught beneath the 
roofing, and before they can be extricated fire puts an end 
to their suffering. The ruins invariably take fire by the 
overturning of braziers and the Japanese stoves, and the 
horrors of the situation are greatly intensified. The most 
severe earthquakes, it is said, occur in winter, when fire is 
necessary to keep the rooms warm. 



580 GIRDLING THE GLOBE 

Professor Milne, who has made seismic disturbances 
the study of his life, has invented a method of building to 
thwart the effect of the earthquake He would make a 
mortise in the corner stones of the house large enough to 
admit the corner posts. In the* mortise a number of small 
steel balls are placed, on which the posts rest. The ball 
bearing would provide for free oscillation, and the danger 
of the house being shaken down would be greatly lessened. 
It would seem that no system of construction would avail 
when the severe shocks of the earthquake come. In the 
great earthquake of 1855, which destroyed thousands of 
lives in Tokio and the district lying west, fourteen thou- 
sand, two hundred and forty-one dwelling houses and six- 
teen hundred and forty-nine fireproof storehouses were 
overturned and destroyed, and it was estimated that thirty 
thousand lives were lost. 

A good idea of the destruction wrought by the quaking 
of earth may be obtained by reference to page 581, where 
a part of one of the villages overthrown may be seen. A 
moment's study of the photograph will show how complete- 
ly the houses have been destroyed. The only marvel is 
how any of the inhabitants escaped with their lives. 

The cause of earthquakes, says an authority on this top- 
ic, is still obscure. The learned incline at present to the 
opinion that the causes may be many and various; but the 
general connection between earthquakes and volcanoes is 
not contested. The "faulting" which results from eleva- 
tions and depressions of the earth's surface, the infiltration 
of water to great depths and the consequent generation of 
steam, the caving in of subterranean hollows — -hollows 
themselves produced in all probability by chemical degra- 
dation — these and other causes have been appealed to as 
the most probable. 




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THE GROUND CLAVE ASUNDER. 583 

Whatever the cause may be, earthquakes are a terrible 
reality and'in no other country in the world are they so fre- 
quent as in Japan. Professer Milne has invented a seismo- 
graph, a very delicate instrument which records the earth- 
quakes. When it is said that so many occur in Japan ev- 
ery year, it should be stated that many of the shocks are 
very light and are revealed only by Milne's recording instru- 
ment. Others like those experienced by ourselves startle 
one from the soundest sleep, and then every few years comes 
one of great violence and destructive force. They are, 
however, not more dreaded by the people of Japan than are 
the hurricanes and cyclones in our own country. 

In the Bible we read of the dire punishment which fell 
upon Korah and those who with him rebelled against the 
Lord. "The ground clave asunder that was under them, 
and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, 
and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto 
Korah and all their goods."* Some Bible students would 
account for this judgment of God upon the rebellious Ko- 
rah by referring it to an earthquake. Whether this be the 
correct explanation or not, there can be no doubt that it was 
the result of divine interposition and was intended to teach 
the wandering Israelites an important lesson. The means 
used may have been an earthquake. In Japan the opening 
of great cracks in the earth, of unknown depth, is of com- 
mon occurrence. Parts of villages are sometimes swallowed 
up. Look "at the cracks in the earth as shown in the ac- 
companying picture, from a photograph, hence presenting a 
real scene. In all this we may see what wonderful forces 
and power God has stored up in the bowels of the earth. 
In the globe on which we live are the elements and forces 
which, if properly combined, would shake its foundations 

* Numbers 16: 31, 32. 



584 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

and dissolve it into smoke and gases in a brief period. Let 
us therefore build not on the imstable earth, but upon the 
rock Christ Jesus which cannot be shaken, "whose voice 
then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, 
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of 
those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that 
those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Where- 
fore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us 
have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with 
reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire." 



'$&ZM 46$* 




w 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



The Land of Flowers — The Flower Seller — The Chrysanthemum — 
Cherry Blossoms — Nothing But Leaves — The Cherry Blossom Fes- 
tival — The Homeward Journey — Picking up a Day — Honolulu 
— The Golden Gate — Home at Last. 

The love of flowers is a national characteristic among 
the Japanese. In no other country in the world do blos- 
soms, bestowed with bounteous hand by the Creator to 
beautify mother earth, enter so largely into the lives and 
hearts of the people, or receive more love and appreciation 
than in Japan. Poetical fancy has called it the " Land of 
Flowers," and well it deserves the name. From January, 
when the sweet-scented plum blooms in perfect beauty, un- 
til December, when the late and hardy chrysanthemum gives 
the last blossom of the dying year, there is a continuous 
succession of the most beautiful flowers. The plum, the 
cherry, the peony, the wistaria, the iris, the lotus, and the 
dahlia, with a marvelous wealth of autumn beauties, keep 
up a series of perpetual blossoms for the year. Everybody 
loves flowers, and no home is so poor or humble but that 
potted plants are to be found within its portals. The flower 
peddler walks about the streets laden with beautiful blos- 
soms set in bamboo vases and finds numerous customers 
among rich and poor alike, for they all love the flowers. 

The chrysanthemum is the national flower of Japan, 
and the flower with its many petals, sixteen in number, is 
used as the imperial crest and heraldic sign by the reigning 
family. No one else may use the nation's choice in this 
way. An author who visited Japan in November says of 
(587) 



588 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

this beautiful flower: " Many gardens are filled with won- 
derful specimens of the gardener's art, which in this particu- 
lar branch, has achieved true floral miracles. There are 
chrysanthemums of every hue, from a deep gold to the 
faintest shade of pink, and from imperial purple to a vivid 
crimson. Their petals and corolla are of every conceivable 
shape; sometimes spatulate, at others like fairy filaments, or 
again resembling the plumes of the ostrich. Each year 
sees new and beautiful varieties produced, so that their 
name is legion." Annually a great national festival is held 
in honor of the chrysanthemum. At such times the chrys- 
anthemum gardens are a mass of the richest color and the 
most beautiful blossoms. Large sums of money are spent in 
the production of the chrysanthemum, and some of the fin- 
est flowers sell at a very high price. 

Before the chrysanthemum, in point of time, comes the 
cherry blossom, and it stands first in the hearts of this flow- 
er-loving people. Of this I write from actual experience. 
The great cherry blossom holiday occurs in April, and the 
trees were in full bloom during our sojourn in Japan. If 
the chrysanthemum is the national flower, standing as the 
sign of the imperial family, the cherry is the flower of the 
people. "Hito zva bushi, liana iva sakura " are the words of 
an old Japanese proverb, "The man of men is the warrior, 
the flower of flowers is the cherry." Among our own practi- 
cal people in the United States no one would ever think of 
cultivating the cherry tree for the blossom alone. We are 
much too utilitarian for a procedure of that kind. But for 
centuries the Japanese have spent time, labor, and money in 
producing, not the best varieties of fruit, but the finest and 
most beautiful blossoms. The fruit is dwarfed and bitter 
and is not eaten, but the blossoms are marvels of beauty. 
They are not pure white and single, as with us at home, but 





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NOTHING BUT LEAVES. 591 

vary in color in every conceivable shade from the lightest 
pink to the deepest rose. Then there are double and treble 
and fourfold blossoms — perfect in form and color and rich 
in perfume — as large as our small roses. When the cherry 
trees are in full bloom the scene is one of indescribable 
beauty, which to be fully appreciated must be seen in floral 
Japan. 

In our Yokohama home I met, and became well ac- 
quainted with, Capt. Lee, a retired army officer who had 
seen service in our War of the Rebellion. He was a well in- 
formed, practical man, and was deeply interested in horti- 
culture. He was making an effort to introduce fruit trees 
into Japan, and was hindered because the people cared 
more for flowers than fruit. We enjoyed many pleasant 
walks together. When we came to the blossom-laden 
cherry trees, the Captain, in reply to my exclamations of 
pleasure and delight upon seeing the beauty of the flowers, 
would say: "Yes! very beautiful! most beautiful! but there 
is no fruit, nothing but leaves, nothing but leaves." Re- 
flecting upon the Captain's words, I thought, So it is with 
many lives in this world. When the Master comes expect- 
ing fruit he will find " nothing but leaves, nothing but 
leaves." 

At Tokio we spent the cherry blossom holiday. Early 
in the morning the streets leading to Ueno park, where 
thousands of trees were in full bloom, were a moving mass 
of humanity. It seemed as if the city were being emptied 
of its people. Two hours later we entered the park where 
the air seemed to be filled with clouds of pink and rose and 
was heavy laden with perfume. Beneath the trees wan- 
dered the great crowd of people, talking, laughing, reciting 
bits of poetry, and having a good time generally. Says a 
Japanese poet: " If one should enquire of you concerning 



592 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

the spirit of a true Japanese, point to the wild cherry blos- 
som shining in the sun." And the spirit. of the great throng 
of Japanese humanity was in full harmony with the beauti- 
ful blossoms dancing in the morning sun. It was a joyous, 
happy, good-natured crowd. Men and women, boys and 
girls, wi'th the babies of the household securely lashed to 
their backs, were all there, apparently without a thought or 
care for the future. It was the cherry blossom festival, and 
dull care was banished from every heart. They were out to 
enjoy the rich feast spread by bounteous Nature, and I was 
impressed with the thought that this happy, joyous, smiling 
mass of people were getting an immense amount of pleasure 
from their day's outing. There were innocent games for 
the children, into which both old and young entered with 
great zest, and many peals of laughter went up from the 
merry groups of players. I noticed, too, that many of the 
blossom-laden boughs bore also strips of paper on which 
had been written a prayer, or some practical sentiment in 
honor of the day. But why attempt to describe? To know 
and feel the true spirit of the cherry blossom time one must 
go to the flowery kingdom and see and feel it for himself. 

And here I am constrained to quote briefly from my 
notes, adding to what has already been said about the 
kindly and courteous disposition of the Japanese. Friday, 
April 3, 1896: A bright, clear, beautiful spring day. These 
are delightful days to go about the city and see the 
Japanese in their homes, and what a kindly, courteous peo- 
ple they are. My jinrikisha man takes off his hat and bows 
with as much natural grace as if he were a nobleman. The 
laundryman who comes to our rooms has the manners 
and courtesy of the highest circles of European or Amer- 
ican society. His bows are as graceful and at the same 
time as natural as if he had been born and bred among the 



GREAT NEED OF JAPAN. 595 

elite of Paris. And the best thing about Japanese polite- 
ness is that it is not put on for the occasion. It is innate. 
To-day I saw two coolies, day laborers, take off their hats 
and bow to each other in the most graceful manner. My 
jinrikisha man accidently jostled an aged woman on the 
street. She fell down. He went to her assistance, brushed 
the dust from her clothing and then lifting his hat bowed, 
and they parted smiling good naturedly. To-day I saw a 
boy of ten running at the top of his speed, when he tripped 
and fell. Picking himself up he laughed heartily at his 
discomfiture and ran away. Good nature bubbles over in 
the Japanese. There is nothing morose or crabbed about 
them. Their politeness is proverbial, and in courtesy and 
kindly feeling they are not one whit behind the cultured 
nations of Europe. In these respects they present a strik- 
ing contrast to the rough, coarse bluntness of many other 
peoples one meets in making a circuit of the globe. 

The Japanese are not only kind in disposition and 
courteous in manner, but they are wide-awake and pro- 
gressive. The nation is making rapid strides and her 
progress in the last decade is little less than marvelous. 
The great need of the country is the religion of Jesus 
Christ. If the Japanese could be induced to change their 
idolatrous worship for that of the true and living God they 
would soon take rank as one of the leading nations of the 
world. As it is they are held in thraldom by their idola- 
trous religion. This applies to the masses, and to them the 
Gospel of Christ should be preached. The harvest truly is 
great. Where are the laborers who will carry the Gospel to 
the already whitened fields of Japan? Japan, won for 
Christ, would at once become one of the strongest forces 
toward the conversion of China and the whole of Asia to 
the Christian religion. May the day speedily come when 



596 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

the name of Christ shall take the place of the false gods of 
the "Flowery Kingdom." 

And now again we turn our thoughts and faces toward 
the home land. It is a long distance by land and sea from 
Yokohama to our home in the Illinois village where our 
pilgrimage around the world began almost a year ago. 
How quickly the time has fled; and now as we prepare for 
our last sea voyage it all seems as a dream that is told. 
Have we indeed thus far girdled the globe? True it is, and 
now farewell to Japan, the land of flowers and of a kindly, 
courteous people. May she grow in prosperity and in the 
knowledge of the true God. 

On the 26th of April, 1896, we sailed away from Yoko- 
hama for San Francisco, on the Pacific Mail steamer, 
"China," "the best ship on the Pacific," said the captain, 
and entered upon the longest sea voyage of our journey 
around the world. The distance between the two ports, by 
way of the Sandwich Islands, is about six thousand five 
hundred miles, and seventeen days is the time usually re- 
quired to make the voyage. The Pacific Ocean, true to her 
peaceful name, was calm and the voyage all that could have 
been desired. But seventeen days at sea become very 
monotonous. On the North Atlantic one sees steamers and 
ships of sail nearly even' da)', but on the Pacific days and 
weeks are passed without a sight of ship or sail to break the 
dead waste of water. 

On the 2nd day of May we crossed the international 
date line, 180 degrees east of Greenwich, and, in order to 
correct our time, were compelled to pick up a day. West 
of the line we had Saturday, May 2. East of the line it was 
Sunday, May 3. Our notes say, "Singular as it may seem, 
I have two Saturdays and two second days of May follow- 
ing each other in my diary. It makes one week of my life 



VOYAGE HOME. 59/> 

contain eight days. I know the fact exists, and yet it is 
hard to have the mind accept it. Regularly we have gone 
on until we came to Saturday, and, according to all previ- 
ous experience, this ought to be the first day of the week. 
But all past experience fails, and I am compelled to write 
Saturday, May 2, when I feel that it is Sunday, May 3." 
Thinking over this strange occurrence, we wondered how 
our seventh day friends could adjust themselves to thi: 
state of things. East of the line they would be keeping 
one day as their Sabbath, while their brethren west of the 
line would be observing another. The solution of this 
problem is left for those who keep the Jewish Sabbath. 

The longest life has its close, and so, too, the long- 
est sea voyage, and the longest journeys have their end. 
With a short stop at the Sandwich Islands, with am- 
ple time to visit Honolulu, the capital, we again sped 
over the waters of the sea on our homeward way. 
Day after day passed away until, at last, sailing still 
toward the rising sun, the coast of our own dear native 
land loomed up in the far distance, and even as we stood 
watching on the deck of the "China," we entered the 
Golden Gate. Yonder floated the stars and stripes, — the 
emblem of civil and religious liberty. How our hearts 
filled with thankfulness, and our eyes with tears of joy, 
when we realized that we were safe in the harbor at last! 
Ah, the best part of the journey is the home-coming; and 
so, too, the best part of life's voyage is the blessed home- 
coming of the soul; sailing peacefully and quietly into the 
haven of eternal rest. 

From San Francisco we made a hasty journey to Otta- 
wa, Kansas, where our Annual Conference for 1896 was 
held. Here we were met and greeted by many of our 



598 GIRDLING THE GLOBE. 

co-laborers in Christ. Then home again after an absence of 
a little more than a year. 

Only wanderers, after a long and weary absence, can 
enter fully into our feelings when we were again permitted 
to step on the shore of our own dear native land and to 
reach home again. To God, who had so wonderfully pro- 
tected and kept us in all our wanderings, we gave thanks 
and praise. It was to us a happy home-coming, and here 
we write the closing words of this book. Not far hence, as 
we measure time, shall there be written over against the 
lives of reader and writer the words: 



THE END. 



IZfcTIDIEIX:. 



Accident at sea, an," 510 

Agra 371 

Ahmedabad 365 

Albanian costume, the 128 

Animals, homes for 262 

Animals, kindness to, 260 

Animals, love for 301 

Animals of the jungle, 419 

Animal worship 297 

"Antiquities," 210 

Armenian massacres, 139, 517 

Athens, 116 

Athens, modern 123 

Axenstrasse, the 94 

Banian tree, the great, 455 

Baptism, infant 99 

Baptist missionaries, 338 

Bathing ghats, visit to 597 

Bazaars of Bombay 248 

Benares 595 

Benares, the center of Hinduism, . . .396 

Bengal tiger, the 418 

Bhima, image of the god 404 

Bhooteas, the 451 

Bible, the Berleburg 77 

Bible, first published in America, . . . 77 

"Birds of a feather," 498 

Black Hole, the 438 

Bombay, 233 

Bombay, old, 247 

Books, our, taken 136 

Books, recovering our 147 

Booth Tucker 228 

Boundary stones, 175 

Brahman, the, caste 269 

Brethren church, founding cf 73 

Brethren, persecution of 74 

Breezes, spicy, 4 C ,7 

Bridge, a cane 449 

Buddha, images of 552 

Buddhism in Japan, 537 

Bulsar, arrival at 264 

Bulsar, leaving, 364 

Burning ghats, 3 2 3 



Burning ghat 406 

Burning the dead 316 

Cairo revisited 205 

Cairo, a winter resort 213 

Cairo, bazaars of, 216 

Cairo, immorality of, 213 

Calcutta, 437 

Calcutta, leaving, 458 

Camel train, a 206 

Carmel, Mt 153 

Caste 266 

Caste destructive, 274 

Caste, effects of, 270 

Caste hinders the missionary, 2S0 

Castes, number of 270 

Caste, remedy for 281 

Cawnpore, defense of, 392 

Ceylon 469 

Ceylon, leaving, 496 

Child marriage .347 

Children, carrying 565 

Children, dress of, 337 

Cherry blossoms 588 

Cherry blossom holiday 591 

Cholera, the home of, 437 

Chop-sticks 526 

Chrysanthemum, the 587 

Cigarettes, opium in, 507 

Cingalese, dress of, . . . 478 

Cinnamon 474 

Clothing in India 251, 332 

Clouds, above the, 449 

Ciouds, among the 444 

Cloves 476 

Cocoanut plantation, a 359 

Cocoanut palm, uses of 477 

Collections, novel 5(0 

Colombo, 469 

Company, a mixed, 497 

Corinth, 112 

Cows, bathing of 261 

Cow, the, sacred 260 

Cows in temples, 3C3 

Cow worship, excess of, 303 



6oo 



INDEX. 



Cracks in the earth 583 

Crocodiles, sacred, 366 

Curiosity of Orientals 342 

Custom house, a Turkish, 136 

Dalad'a, temple of 483 

Day, picking up a, ' 5°,6- 

Dead, ways of disposing of the, . . . .315 

Death, the black 516 

'Death wood,'" 406 

Deception in religion 572 

Devotions, morning, 331 

Dhoti, the, 332 

Diogenes the Cynic 115 

Dishonesty, reason of, 339 

Divers at Aden 224 

Divers, Malay boy 509 

Donkey riding 217 

Drink evil, the, in London 27 

Dress in Japan 543 

Ear-boring 356 

Earthquakes, causes of, . . 580 

Earthquake, an, desire to feel 575 

Earthquakes, effects of 580 

Eder, valley of the, 70 

Egypt, arrival in 203 

Elephants, state, 368 

Emperor's bridge, the 570 

Englishman, first, in Japan 537 

Ezbekiyeh gardens 215 

Faith-healing 405 

Fakirs 387 

Farmers, a nation of, 420 

Farming, Egyptian 207 

Farmhouses, Scandinavian 54 

Farmers, Indian and American, . . . 421 

Farrar, Canon, 21 

Feet, small 529 

Fercken, Bro., ordination of 141 

Fercken's, Bro., work,. 143 

Figs 146 

Filial love ." 407 

Fire-worshipers . . 238 

Fjords, 39 

Flowers, the land of, 587 

Flying fish, 460 

Food of the poor, 327 

Fox hunting, 28 

Funeral, a Hindu, 317 

Funeral, a Jewish, 196 

Funeral, a Parsi 241 

Funeral procession, a 132 

Furniture, lack of, 324 



Ganesa 287 

Gods of all kinds, 398 

Gold, wearing of 254 

Golden temple, the 413 

Grant, Gen., modesty of 570 

Grapes 131 

Grapes, treading 197 

Grinding at the mill 188 

Hair, care of 544 

Halle revisited, 69 

Hang, John Jacob 77 

Hanuman, the monkey god 308 

Harem, a Turkish, 163 

Headdress, the, 335 

Heathen, liberality of the 465 

Heights and depths 446 

Himalayas, the 443 

Himalayan railroad, 443 

Hindus, classes of, 284 

Holy man of Benares 416 

Home, leaving, 15 

Home-life in India, 337 

Home again, 598 

Home, sailing for 596 

Homes, lack of, in Paris 33 

Hooghly river, the, 459 

Horse meat 56 

Hostility, Turkish, 141 

Houses of the poor 323 

Houses of the wealthy, 328 

House-boats, 526 

Houses, Japanese, 579 

Idolatry, 282 

Idolatry, a charm 283 

Idols are nothing, 297 

Idols at Jeypore, . 367 

Idols at Benares, 396 

Idols, making 409 

Idols, blessing 409 

Idols, made in England, 409 

Idolatry, tax on, 465 

Idol, worshipers before an 559 

Images, one thousand and one, .... 548 

Indigo dye, making of 422 

Indigo plant, the 422 

Infanticide, female 366 

Infidel teaching, results of, 32 

Inland Sea, the 534 

Jaffa, landing at 157 

Japan, advancement of, 539 

Japan, extent of, 540 

Japan historically 537 



INDEX. 



60 1 



Japanese, courtesy of 592 

Japanese hotel, a 571 

Japan, greatest need of . . 555 

Japanese, progress of 59c 

Japan, revolution in 539 

Jerusalem, desolation of 183 

Jerusalem, excavations at 187 

Jerusalem, leaving 203 

Jewelry in India, 252 

Jewelry, weight of 336 

Jewelry, absence of, 543 

Jiddah 222 

Jinrikisha, the 547 

Juggernaut, car of, 461 

Jugglers 379 

Jungles, 444 

Kago, the 561 

Kalighat 455 

Kandy 480 

Kava, how made 508 

Khali Khan 381 

Kimono, a, buying 565 

Kite flying 566 

Krishna 287 

Kwannon, temple of 548 

Labor, effects of cheap 346 

Laborers, food of, 421 

Land, desire to see 16 

Land tax in Palestine 176 

Land tenure in Palestine 172 

Lapps, the 49 

Lebanon, 150 

Lepers 164 

Leprosy like sin . 169 

Letters from home, 569 

Liberality of the heathen . 400 

London 19 

London, busy streets of 26 

Lots, casting 174 

Love feast, a, at Smyrna, 139 

Lucerne 85 

Lucerne, Lake 86 

Luther at Worms 81 

Luther monument 82 

Lying, pride in, 522 

Madras, 460 

Mango tree trick, the, 382 

Marks in the forehead 288 

Mars' Hill 116 

Measuring grain 180 

Memorial Chapel at Windsor Palace, . 23 
Memorial Weil 391 



Merchants at Aden 224 

Merchant, the, caste 269 

Midnight sun, the 64 

Milan cathedral, 98 

Mills, the hand 332 

Mission work, difficulty of, 142 

Missionaries, in company with, . . . . 226 

Mission work, problems of, 265 

Mission work hindered by opium trade, 433 

Money, Indian, 344 

Monkeys, worship of ..264,306 

Monkeys, mischievous 391 

Monkey temple, the, 414 

Monkey wedding, a, 308 

Morality, low standard of, 522 

Nagasaki, Gen. Grant's tree at, ... . 533 

Name-giving, 355 

Nature, tropical 473 

Nikko, temples at, 570 

Northern lights, . 41 

Norwegian farmers, 42 

Nutmegs, 476 

Offerings to the river 399 

Olivet, an evening on 195 

Opium dens, c 6 

Opium, destroyed, 429 

Opium, increased use of, 426 

Opium, objected to, 427 

Opium, results of the use of 425 

Opium sent to China, 425 

Opium war, the, . .- 430 

Orientals, peculiarities of 341 

Ornaments, kinds of, 336 

Palestine, changes in, 159 

Pan chewing 257 

Paper wads, throwing at idol 559 

Paradenia Botanical Garden 484 

Pariahs . . . . 270 

Paris, 30 

Paris, wickedness of 31 

Paris, the steamer ]8 

Parker, Dr 20 

Parsis, the 237 

Passport, a, in Japan, 535 

Paul at Athens 116 

Paul at Corinth, 115 

Peacock throne, the, 389 

Pearl Fisheries, 491 

Penang 499 

Perry, Commodore, at Japan 538 

"Pidgin" English 518 

Pigeons, feeding, 368 



602 



INDEX. 



Pilfering Chinamen, 525 

Pillows, peculiar 544 

Plain dressing 229 

Plague, the, in Europe 517 

Politeness, Japanese 536 

Polycarp 145 

Pompeii revisited 107 

Pompeii, restored house in, in 

Poppy plant, the •. • ■ 423 

Port Said, wickedness of, 204 

Prayer flags 454 

Prayers, purchasing, 559 

Prayer wheels 454 

Precious stones 486 

Purdah women, ■-. 403 

Pyramids, climbing the 209 

Rajah's palace, a 366 

Red Sea, the, 220 

Reindeer, uses of the 50 

Religious services 329 

Rhine, the _. 80 

Rigi, Mount, ascent of 86 

Rubies, value of, 490 

Sabbath, the Christian, in Paris, ... 32 

Saktism, evils of 292 

San-Tu, temple of 551 

Sari, the 336 

Saur, Christopher 77 

Sawmill, an Indian . .343 

Scandinavia, trees of, 38 

Schwarzenau, 71 

Sedan chair, the, 503 

Separating from friends 217 

Sepoy Mutiny, the, 391 

Serpent worship 304 

Shells . . 505 

Shepherd and flock 188 

Shoes and stockings 335 

Signboards, 522 

Sinai 222 

Sincerity of the heathen, ...... .407 

Singapore 499 

Sleeping on the street 216 

Smelling salts, 210 

Smoking cars, • 29 

Smoking in Japan, 566 

Soldier, the, caste, 269 

St. Gothard tunnel, the 95 

St. Peter, kissing foot of, 104 



Streets, narrow, 521 

Sudra, the, caste , 269 

Suez, 221 

Sunset at sea, a, . . ." i3 

Supper, the last, . . 100 

Taj Mahal, the 371 

Tax gatherer, the . 177 

Tea plantation, a 484 

Teaching, need of, 408 

Tell, Wm 90 

TelFs Chapel, : ... 93 

Temples at Benares, : . . . 396 

Threshing floors, 160 

Tigers, man-eating, 365 

Toddy climbers 360 

Toddy drinking 263 

Tokio, 575 

Tooth of Buddha, 483 

Top of the world, the, . . . : 445 

Towers of Silence, the 245 

Tradition, influence of, 346 

Transmigration 298 

Trappists, the, 104 

Tree worship, 311 

Truth, lack of - 338 

Tyre 151 

Uttariya, the, 335 

Vice a virtue, 292 

View, a wonderful 445 

Wages in India, 345 

Wages in the North, 60 

Waking the god, 561 

War, cruelties of, 394 

Water wheels, . . . 219 

Watson, Dr., and his work, 214 

Wedding, a double,. 351 

Well of knowledge, the, 413 

Widows, burning of, 319 

Widows, sad condition of, 348 

Windsor Palace, 23, 25 

Wine vats 131 

Wine vats, the king's, 197 

Woman in the North, 59 

Woman in Egypt 214 

Woman, influence of, 22 

Worms, city of, 81 

Worship, daily acts of 291 

Wristlets, putting on, 216 



